


Last Evolution

by 0plus2equals1



Category: Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena, ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Genre: also when it comes to warnings: all the warnings inherent to RGU itself apply here, bespoke: dio and nanami are basically the same person and they cannot stand it, broke: touga and dio have the same voice actor, woke: dio can stop time and throws knives around while dios can stop time and throw swords around
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22707433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0plus2equals1/pseuds/0plus2equals1
Summary: A worried George sends Jonathan and Dio to a very strange boarding school hoping that they will learn a lesson about brotherhood. But was that really such a good idea?
Relationships: Dio Brando & Jonathan Joestar
Comments: 9
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

_Once upon a time, years and years ago, there was a little boy and his father, who was very sad, for his wife had died._

_They had been a noble family. While returning from a trip abroad, their carriage crashed and was dashed to pieces over the side of a cliff._

_Before the wreckage appeared a traveling gentleman that saved the father and the child. The father was amazed by his goodness._

_This was all well and good, but…_

_So impressed was he by him, the father made a promise: as you have helped me, so too will I help you._

_Perhaps the promise held gold and jewels. Perhaps the promise was one of love and support. Perhaps both._

_But was that really such a good idea?_

* * *

The manor had been eerily quiet for the past few days. Many of the inhabitants were mourning the loss of the much-beloved dog, Danny. Jonathan had barely left his room and, more concerningly, was eating less. Dio kept pacing from one end of the manor to the other without any tangible purpose. George Joestar kept tabs on them both with growing worry. He would soon have to take an extended leave from the mansion due to his work, and he didn’t want to leave his sons in this state. Dio and Jonathan’s last real interaction had been a brawl ending in tears and bloodshed. He didn’t want a repeat of that clash in his absence. 

The manor had also received a mysterious letter. The butler had set it upon his breakfast tray that morning, right beneath the toast and strawberry preserves. It was a thick envelope sealed with red wax embossed with a rose-shaped seal. He slit open the envelope with his butterknife and glanced over the contents.

He read the letter through once, and then again with closer attention. A smile grew on his face.

Perhaps this was the solution he had been looking for.

* * *

“Boarding school?” his sons questioned him simultaneously. Jonathan sounded surprised while Dio sounded vaguely affronted.

George Joestar nodded. “I think it would be a wonderful experience for you two. You’ll get to study under highly accomplished scholars, participate in a wide range of sports, and make new friends. To be frank, many of the boys around here are just...un-gentlemanly. While I hold you both in the highest regard, I think spending more time with like-minded peers would help you develop as fine young men. Plus,” he added with a frown, “I’m sure you’re both still mourning the loss of Danny. A change of scenery would help assuage your grief.”

“But, Father,” Jonathan said with a pained expression, “wouldn’t you be lonely without us here?”

“I’ll be away from the manor, as well,” he replied. “An upcoming work trip will waylay me for a month if it goes well and longer if it does not.”

Dio was quiet and seemingly lost in thought. Jonathan glanced over at him and frowned. Going to a new place would be a way to make new friends, as all of his so-called friends had been easily pushed away by Dio. However, leaving would also make it harder for him to try mending his relationship with Erina. 

Dio stared blankly at the table. He was pretty sure that George Joestar didn’t suspect him at all for Danny’s death, but perhaps sending him away was the first step towards excising him from the family. However, he would now have so many more opportunities to rebalance power in his favor after the absolute disruption of his fight with Jojo.

The following week was a whirlwind of packing, sending and receiving further confirmation letters, getting measured for uniforms (“when did you two get so tall?” commented a struggling butler), and strategizing. Jonathan mostly agonized over how to introduce himself to his new peers while shoving most of his belongings into his luggage. Dio tried to cover up his need to recalculate his plans with an affected anxiety over packing. He filled his suitcases, emptied them, rearranged them, and packed them again. He would have the school uniform to wear, but there were outfits for dinners or for evening walks or for cold days or rainy days or—

He turned on his heel. Jonathan was standing in the doorway. At first he looked sheepish, but once Dio glared at him he squared his shoulders. 

“The carriage is here,” Jonathan said. “So, don’t take too long.”

* * *

It was fortunate that George had already left for his work trip. Dio didn’t know if he could stomach faking his way through a tearful goodbye. Dio and Jonathan entered the carriage and were waved off by the manor staff.

The carriage rattled along the road. Jonathan didn’t seem to want to talk to him. He was sitting on the opposite seat and reading a book.

Reading would be a decent way to pass the time. Dio rummaged through his satchel and found a book on Roman history. While it was steadily growing darker outside from gathering rain clouds, there was still enough lingering light for him to see the pages. He read for a long time before a loud snore broke his concentration.

Jonathan had fallen asleep. His cheek was plastered against the carriage window. 

Dio reached into his satchel, pulled out a spare piece of rose-emblazoned stationery, crumpled it up, and threw it. It bounced off Jojo’s face uselessly and landed in his lap. He continued to snore.

Dio lifted the heavy book and prepared to throw it. The carriage passed over a pothole and jostled roughly. Jonathan woke up with a snort. He blinked at the crumpled up paper in his lap.

“How much longer, do you think?” Jonathan asked blearily. “Berkshire isn’t all that far away.” He un-crumpled the paper and looked it over.

“Berkshire?” Dio frowned. “I thought the school was in Cambridgeshire.”

“Er.” Jonathan stared at the unfolded paper. “This says Amsterdam.”

“Amsterdam?” Dio reached over and snatched the paper from his hands.

It read: 

_Ohtori Academy_

_Established_ (this was unreadable on the crumpled paper no matter how Dio tried to flatten it out.)

_Amsterdam, Netherlands_

“That doesn’t make sense,” Dio said. “Nobody said anything about Amsterdam. Or about getting on a boat to go there.” He pulled out a sheaf of paperwork from his bag. Acceptance letters, order forms, envelopes and seals—he searched through them for any more clues about their destination. Some _did_ say Cambridgeshire. Many said Amsterdam. A few others listed places he had never heard of before.

“Wait,” Jonathan said as Dio scattered paperwork all over the carriage. “Why don’t we just ask the driver? He has to know where we’re going.”

“You’re right.” He loathed to admit it. Dio moved to knock on the wall at the driver’s back, but the carriage must have moved on to a terribly cobbled street or it had gone off the road entirely. It was rattling as if it were trying to jostle his brain out of his skull.

Outside of the carriage window, the sky had gone stormy and dark. Rain lashed against the windows.

Dio and Jonathan shared a look.

“Do you think we’re being kidnapped?” Jonathan asked.

Would George Joestar have been stupid enough to fall for an obviously fake boarding school invite? Or had he sent them on a fake kidnapping experience to teach some sort of lesson about brotherhood? Or were there multiple branches of the boarding school and the mismatch of addresses on the parchment was an honest mistake? Dio held on to his seat as the carriage continued to rattle.

Jonathan stood and struggled to keep his balance. He lurched forward and pounded on the driver’s wall. “Hello? I think there’s been a misunderstanding—”

Dio scowled. “He won’t be able to hear you! It’s storming _and_ it already sounds like the carriage is going to fall to pieces.”

Jonathan gave the carriage door a dubious glance. “I could climb out and get him if I’m careful.”

While Dio wasn’t opposed to Jonathan slipping off the rain-slicked door and dying in a freak carriage accident, it seemed unnecessary. “Just wait,” Dio said. “We can—”

The carriage came to an abrupt stop. Jonathan fell forward and his elbow crushed into Dio’s chest. Dio hacked, his breath knocked out of him, and he kicked at Jonathan until he slid off of him and fell to the carriage floor.

The carriage door opened. They both looked out with bewilderment. The driver held up an umbrella and gestured for them to exit. 

Once Jonathan and Dio stood outside, the rain went from a torrent, to a mild drizzle, to just a light sporadic spattering. The driver shrugged and closed the umbrella. A group of men, presumably school staff as they had the familiar rose emblem embroidered upon their jackets, attended to their luggage.

“Whoa!” Jonathan looked off into the distance in awe. “This place—!”

The school campus spread out in front of them. The buildings were almost all of fine white marble embellished with spindly columns and thick green foliage. The structures grew larger as they dotted up the side of a large hill with grand archways and paths cutting through forests. The wet white stone glittered in the emerging sunlight. The very top of the hill had some large buildings, but the most impressive structure was a massive tower stretching up into the sky. 

* * *

The attendants took their luggage to their dormitory. It was a large and imposing house carved from the same marble that every building on campus was seemingly hewn from. As the attendants scurried in and out of the building with their luggage, Dio investigated the well-manicured front lawn. There was a miniature monolith adjacent to the front gate. It sat upon a circular plinth engraved with astrological symbols.

Once the last of the luggage was moved in, Jonathan joined him. “Do you think that…” He trailed off, looked up at the stone building, and then looked at Dio. “Do you think that we’ve been spirited away somewhere? Like in a story? That carriage ride...”

Dio had been wondering the exact same thing. “No. This is a strange place, but the letters made it clear that it’s very exclusive. So exclusive that I guess nobody has ever heard of it and nobody knows where it is. Do you think that this is plaster?” He kicked the monolith. It was as hard as a rock. He winced.

* * *

Jonathan wasn’t thrilled about sharing a room with Dio, but being at a new school and having a fresh social slate to work with could make it tolerable. If all else failed, the dormitory they were staying in seemed to have excess empty rooms and he could retreat to one if Dio became too intolerable.

He had explored the halls briefly while the attendants were bringing in the luggage. The amount of unused rooms surprised him, and he had asked an attendant if other students would be arriving soon. The attendant claimed that there would not.

Their uniforms were delivered as they were busy unpacking. Dio opened the box and grimaced as he held up folded teal cloth. “These are the uniforms? What a hideous color.”

Jonathan held up one of his shirts and tilted his head. “I don’t think it’s all that bad.”

Night soon fell. Jonathan ventured outside and looked up at the clear night sky. He felt a little disappointed when the constellations were all the same ones that he was used to at home.

They must not have been spirited away, after all.

* * *

_Once upon a time, years and years ago, there was a little boy and his father, who was not very sad, even though his wife had died..._

_As she was buried, her child remembered what she had told him nearly every night._

_“Dio, no matter what happens, live nobly and with pride. If you do that, you’ll surely be able to reach Heaven_.”

_But was that really such a good idea?_


	2. Chapter 2

There wasn’t much time for bickering when they both had to get ready for classes bright and early in the morning. Dio found a way to make time for it anyway. He was standing by the front door as Jonathan searched frantically for his shoes. “I don’t want to be late,” Dio said. “If you’re going to take so long then I’ll leave without you.”

“But I just had them!” Jonathan lifted up the carpet in the entranceway as if they could have gone flat beneath it. “Did you put them somewhere?”

“No.” He had. “I’m going now, Jojo.”

“Just wait!” Jonathan dashed upstairs. “I’ll wear my old pair.”

Dio left and started walking, but it wasn’t hard for Jonathan to catch up with him. “Those look ragged,” Dio said as he glanced at Jonathan’s shoes. “I guess you’re not worried about putting your best foot forward.”

“It’s better than going barefoot,” Jonathan retorted. “And anyway—oh.” He went stock still. “Wow! There’s a lot of students and a _lot of girls_!”

There were, indeed. It seemed like a nearly even mix of boys and girls, all in uniform teal and making their way to campus.

Jonathan pouted. “I wish I could have found my good shoes.”

* * *

The classes flew by in a whirlwind, but noon came with a generous hour-long free period. Jonathan’s stomach growled; he had skimped on breakfast. As the last class before the break ended, he turned and held out his hand to the boy behind him. “Hello! I’m Jonathan Joestar, but people just call me Jojo. I’m a new student. Do you know the way to the dining hall?”

The boy gave his hand a firm but brief shake. “Oh, hello! So you’re one of the new students? It’s nice to meet you. I’m Miki.” He smiled; his face was open and friendly, but he had a sort of serious, thoughtful air. Jonathan noticed that his uniform was also markedly different from the standard solid teal; it was instead a more formal looking white and sky blue. “Has nobody else from the student council talked to you yet?” Miki asked. “Usually the president is supposed to at least leave a note at your dorm.”

Jonathan shook his head. “Student council? No, I don’t think so. Are you in it?”

“Oh, I’m the secretary.” Miki looked away with shy satisfaction. “It’s an interesting position, that’s for sure. Oh! You asked about the dining hall. I usually eat lunch with our treasurer. Would you want to join us?”

Jonathan beamed. “Absolutely!”

* * *

This campus needed a damn map. Dio peered out over the stone railing to the courtyard below. He was pretty sure that the dining hall was on the second floor, but perhaps it was the second floor of a different wing.

“Lost?” a voice asked.

Dio turned on his heel and looked at the young man behind him. He was tall and lanky with long, wavy hair. His uniform was white cut with grassy green. “You must be one of the new students.” He held out a hand. “Saionji Kyouichi.”

“Dio.” He shook his hand firmly. Saionji’s nails dug into his palm; he refused to wince, even when Saionji twisted his wrist and peered down at his fingers. “Kyouichi… what is that, Welsh?” 

Saionji quirked an eyebrow. “Huh? No. Anyway, I’m the vice president of the student council. Usually, the president greets the new transfers, but he’s busy. Want to join me for lunch? I can give you a tour of the place after.”

Dio nodded and flashed a smile that did not reach his eyes. “I’d be honored.”

* * *

The lunch being served was light, pleasant fare. Jonathan took a plate with a sandwich, mixed steamed vegetables, and an apple, then filled a glass with water from the spigot. He glanced around the open-air courtyard packed full of tables and students eating their lunches. Miki waved at him from a distant table secluded in a corner. Jonathan grinned and hustled over to join him. He set his lunch down on the table, pulled out a chair, and found himself frozen by the intensely pointed stare of the young woman sitting across from him. Her outfit was similar to Miki’s, but was instead accented by a sunset orange color. She had long, curly ochre hair and eyes as light and sharp as a shard of ice.

“Uh,” he said, clearing his throat. “Hello.”

She held the serious stare for a few more moments, but her face soon softened with laughter. “Hello. Jojo, right? I’m Juri, the student council secretary.”

After a moment of hesitation, Jonathan held out his hand and smiled. Juri shook it with enthusiasm, then leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms behind her head. “Welcome to Ohtori. Sorry if I spooked you.”

Miki laughed as he pulled the tomato slices off of his sandwich. “She’s not sorry. She does that on purpose. So, Jojo, how has your first day been?” 

Juri looked at him attentively but she put a green bean on her spoon and slowly, subtly bent it back as he was talking, aiming it directly at Miki. Jonathan glanced at her, but Miki didn’t seem to notice. He suppressed a smile as he answered. “A little overwhelming! There are so many more students here than I was expecting. I’m not from a small town exactly, but this is really different.”

Juri released the spoon; Miki dodged the flung green bean perfectly and grinned. “That’s four for three, Juri. I’m ahead again.”

“Ah, but for how long?” she replied, loading another one onto her spoon. Jonathan laughed.

“Would you _please_ eat your food instead of throwing it,” Saionji grumbled. He brushed the stray bean off of his uniform and stole a seat from the neighboring table before sitting beside Miki. Miki gave a little huff of annoyance but said nothing. Juri was peering off over Jonathan’s shoulder; he turned in his seat to look.

Dio stared down at him impassively. He pulled a chair over and sat between Jonathan and Juri, then smiled at Miki. “I see you’ve already met Jojo. I’m the other new student. You can call me Dio.”

Miki tilted his head and reached out; they briefly shook hands. “Nice to meet you.” 

Dio held his hand out to Juri, who gave it a single shake before she returned to reclining. “You’re both in the student council, I presume?” he asked.

“I’m the secretary, and Juri is the treasurer,” Miki answered. “Do you know Jojo already?”

Jonathan’s throat went dry. He ventured a sidelong glance at Dio, who took a sip of water before responding. “We’re roommates,” Dio answered, and he left it at that. 

The group finally turned their attention towards their lunches, except for Saionji, who crossed his arms and huffed until someone noticed him.

“Where’s your lunch, Saionji?” Juri asked without looking at him.

“Himemiya’s supposed to bring it,” he complained.

“Just go get one from the counter,” Miki said. He pushed his empty plate away from him and retrieved a watch from his pocket. He stared at it pensively as it ticked.

Saionji twisted around in his seat and stared out at the crowded courtyard. Unable to find what he was looking for, he crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. “Where is she?”

“You’re the one that should know,” Juri replied tersely.

Jonathan looked at Saionji with concern. “I’ve got my apple left if you want it.”

Saionji sneered at him and stood. “I’m going to go look for her. She probably forgot it was lunchtime again.”

Dio raised an eyebrow as Saionji turned to leave. “Shall we save the tour for another time, then?”

Saionji frowned, but he did actually look a touch guilty. “Well, no. Just come with me. You too,” he said, nodding towards Jonathan. “Since you’re new.”

“Oh, a tour would be good.” Jonathan stood and pushed in his chair. “The campus is so large.”

They followed Saionji as he begrudgingly led them through the main academic wings, pointing out the playing field, the swimming pool, the music and arts rooms, the fencing gym, and other significant areas. Jonathan was pleasantly surprised to see that Dio was genuinely interested by Saionji’s distracted explanations. “What’s the tower?” Dio asked, waving his hand toward it.

“Oh, that’s the chairman’s residence,” Saionji answered. “The student council meets up there, too. You can probably see the balcony from here.” He ducked around a corner and pulled open a door, revealing a supply closet. “Ugh. Well, she’s probably watering the roses again,” he grumbled.

Saionji strode off; Jonathan wasn’t sure if the tour was over yet or not, so he continued to follow him. Saionji descended a stairwell and led them to a long hallway that was open to the outside. In the middle of the small courtyard was a glass greenhouse. The door was propped open, and a young woman with dark skin, round glasses, and hair pinned carefully into an updo stood just inside, looking intently at a rosebush. Saionji glanced back at Jonathan and Dio. “Tour’s over. The free period is going to end soon, anyway. I guess I’ll see you later.” His tone made it clear that he had no desire to do so. Jonathan gave him a halfhearted wave goodbye.

“So,” Jonathan said tentatively to Dio, “how is your first day?”

“Fine.” He gave Jonathan a cool, even stare. “Did you get to meet the student council president?”

Jonathan shook his head. “No. I think he might be absent today or something. Miki said he was supposed to greet us.” His gaze flicked up to the distant Saionji, who had just entered the greenhouse. “He’s the vice president, right?”

“Yes. I wonder what you have to do to become a member. I’d join,” Dio replied as he leaned against a pillar, “if only so that I don’t have to wear this hideous uniform anymore.”

Jonathan couldn’t help but smile. A joke from Dio that wasn’t at his expense was a rare thing. His smile faltered when he saw Saionji storm out of the greenhouse clutching at the young woman’s wrist. He yanked her by the arm and she nearly stumbled. 

Jonathan was nearly in shock; Dio turned in order to see what he was looking at. Saionji’s face was screwed up in anger and the girl wasn’t so much cowering as she was catatonic. Saionji’s arm raised and she turned away, anticipating the blow. His hand landed with a loud _crack_.

Dio felt a cold chill; he glanced around the greenhouse exterior for things she could have used to defend herself. A brick to the head would have worked fine, or a metal rake to the face. If she didn’t fight back, then it wasn’t his problem. He had no idea what their argument was about, either.

Saionji lifted his hand again. Dio turned to look at Jonathan, but all he caught was a blur as Jonathan sprinted across the yard and tackled Saionji to the ground. Saionji wheezed as the breath was knocked out of him.

“What kind of student body representative are you?” Jonathan jostled him by the shoulders. “You can’t just hit one of your peers! _Especially_ not a girl!”

Saionji slammed an elbow into his ribs and tried to squirm out from under him. Jonathan coughed and rolled to the side, which allowed Saionji to get to his knees. Jonathan lunged in an attempt to tackle him again, but Saionji tore up a clump of grass and threw it at his face as he scrambled backward. The dirt scattered everywhere. Jonathan shook his head and spat some out of his mouth.

The girl looked down at them with vague astonishment. “The grass,” she murmured quietly to herself.

Dio heard a sigh. Behind him was another young man in the student council uniform; his outfit was decorated with a strong red that complimented his long, flowing hair. “I suppose I should break this up,” he said, nodding towards Jonathan, who had grabbed a yelling Saionji by the collar. “I’m Touga, by the way. Student council president, at your service. Sorry I didn’t get to say hello earlier, I’ve had a very busy morning. Pardon me.”

Dio nodded and gestured widely towards the courtyard. “Go right ahead.”

Touga went towards Jonathan and Saionji in a leisurely jog. Saionji finally managed to get back on his feet; he grabbed Jonathan and threw his weight to the side. Jonathan stumbled and fell against the girl, who let out a tiny gasp of pain. He froze and his face went beet red. “Oh! I’m sorry! Are you okay?”

The girl said something, but her voice was so soft that he couldn’t hear her.

“Vice president, this is not how we’re supposed to welcome our new students,” Touga said sternly.

“He started it,” Saionji spat.

* * *

Dio was preparing to leave his next class when a girl with a brown ponytail stopped by his desk. She was bubbly and anxious all at once, her eyes wide and full of curiosity.

“Hi, new person!” She smiled widely and her hair bobbed as she nodded at him. “I’m Wakaba Shinohara. Welcome to Ohtori Academy!”

He smiled at her and dialed up the charm. “It’s lovely to meet you, Wakaba. What class do you have next?”

“Oh, I have history next,” she answered. “Room 320-A.”

“As do I.” He pushed in his chair. “Would you like to walk there with me?”

She practically squealed with excitement. “Of course! Let’s go!” To his surprise, she grabbed him by the elbow and practically pulled him out of the room. Once they were in the hall, he wrenched his arm back to his side; she either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “You’ve met all the student council already, right?”

“Yes,” he answered, maintaining a friendly expression. He gave her standard uniform a quick once-over. “You’re not a member?”

“Oh, no, no.” She shook her head emphatically. “That’s way too much work. I have enough from my classes as it is! Plus, I wouldn’t have enough time to make new friends.” She bumped her shoulders against him playfully and his smile twitched at the contact.

“How do you join the student council?” he asked.

“Good question.” She frowned in thought. “I think it’s mostly up to the chairman as to how many spots are open. I know you have to fill out an application and there is a vote, but that’s about it.” Her face grew mischievous. “Didn’t you see the fight earlier? The chairman apparently _hates_ it when students fight. I can’t believe the other new student picked a fight with Saionji!”

“Oh, yes,” Dio responded. “Jojo has such a short temper. Saionji insulted him so he got mad and shoved his girlfriend around.” He sighed. “Jojo’s a real piece of work, you know.”

“Saionji’s girlfriend? You mean Himemiya?” she asked, her face screwed up in confusion. “She’s not his girlfriend.”

 _That’s the part you’re worried about?_ Dio thought to himself.

They neared the history classroom and Wakaba broke out into a sprint. Dio watched bemusedly as she bolted down the hall and leapt into the unsuspecting arms of a boy with long, strawberry-blonde hair.

Or, not a boy. While she was wearing what looked like a modified version of the boy’s uniform, she was certainly a girl. Her knees wobbled as she adjusted to Wakaba’s sudden weight, but she smiled warmly. “Wakaba, you have to be more careful. One of these days you’re gonna knock me over and break something.”

Oh, so Wakaba was just this touchy with everyone. Dio was used to a culture where going on a long walk with a woman was about the same as getting engaged. Sure, it was a lot different in London, but he had spent too much time in the overwhelming decorum of the Joestar estate.

Wakaba wrapped her arms around the girl’s neck and played at strangling her. “You’re not gonna abandon me for the walk home too, are you?”

“I promise, I promise.” She bent forward and Wakaba slid off of her, but once she stood back up, Wakaba threw an arm around her shoulder.

“This is my boyfriend Utena,” she said happily to Dio. “Isn’t she adorable?”

Utena grinned nervously. “Aw, Wakaba, come on. Hey, you’re one of the new students, right?” she asked Dio.

He nodded. “Dio. A pleasure to meet you.”

Utena ducked out from under Wakaba’s arm and offered him a hand. He shook it and took note of the white ring she wore. He had noticed the same rings on the student council members when he shook their hands. That combined with the nonstandard outfit made him wonder if she was yet another member, so he asked outright. “Are you a part of the student council, as well?”

She blinked at him. “Huh? No. I’m actually a recent transfer, too. I’ve been going to Ohtori for about a semester now.”

That piqued his curiosity. “Oh? Where are you from originally?”

A bell rang and reverberated through the hall. The loitering students scattered into their classrooms. The instructor leaned out the door and gave them a pointed look. Wakaba grinned at Utena. “Hey, cover for me. I want to run something down to the kendo hall. It’ll just be a minute; if the teacher asks, say I’m in the bathroom.”

“The kendo hall?” Utena gave her an exaggerated pout. “Should I be worried about losing my boyfriend status?”

“Nooo,” Wakaba replied as she pushed Utena into the classroom. “I’ll be right back!”

“Alright, alright.” Utena found a desk to sit at. Dio peered over the remaining seats and spotted an upset looking Jonathan sitting at the back. There was an empty desk beside him and Dio took a seat and grinned.

“You know, I think you actually won that,” he said. “Even though you almost bowled that poor girl over. Did you get in trouble?”

“No,” Jonathan muttered. “The president just sent me to the nurse. I wasn’t hurt or anything, though.”

“Ah. Pity.” Dio turned his attention to his notes as the lecture began.

* * *

The school day drew to a close. The final bell rang and the students spread out over the campus, some heading back to their dormitories and others staying to participate in after-school events. Jonathan was interested in joining one of the sports clubs, perhaps track or rugby, so he made his way to the bulletin board. For some reason, there was already a dense crowd around the board, and it was nearly impossible for him to weave his way in.

He jumped when Dio suddenly appeared at his side. “Do you think they have a debate club?” Dio asked as he tried to peer over the crowd of people.

“Probably,” Jonathan answered. “It seems like they have most things here.”

The crowd broke out into laughter. A boy close to the bulletin board was reading something tacked to the wall. It seemed like awful poetry. “And so, I dance with you in my dreams, dear Saionji,” the boy read with a snort. “You smile at me gently. I guess I’m a fool… Oh, man! Who wrote this stuff? They _are_ a fool! How embarrassing.”

Someone shoved their way through the crowd and elbowed the boy out of the way. Utena tore the poem off the wall and fixed the crowd with an enraged stare. “You’re the fools! There’s nothing lower than what you guys are doing.”

“What’s wrong with reading something that’s tacked up? This board is for everyone to read,” the boy sneered, but he wilted under Utena’s glare.

“It’s obviously someone’s love letter! In this case, a _real_ man wouldn’t read it.” She shouldered past him, but paused and went pale when she saw Wakaba standing at the edge of the crowd. Wakaba turned and ran away; Utena chased after her, her face stricken with concern.

So Saionji was in some sort of relationship with Himemiya, Wakaba had confessed her love for Saionji only to be utterly rebuked and humiliated, and Wakaba also claimed that Utena was her boyfriend while Utena only somewhat returned the sentiment. Dio was going to need to start taking notes. He had set up a short-term goal for himself in order to keep from growing bored at the boarding school: by the end of the year, he wanted to earn himself a spot on the student council, and if the voting came down to a popularity contest, he needed to know who to sway and how.

Jonathan watched as Utena ran down the hallway, following Wakaba. Here, at least, was someone with the moral character of an upstanding gentleman, even if she was technically a gentlewoman.

* * *

Jonathan did find the time to meet with the clubs he was interested in. To his relief, Dio didn't intervene at any point to try to slander him. It almost seemed like Dio was avoiding any of the clubs he approached, which he supposed he was grateful for. He was ready to head back to the dormitory and was walking along a side path when he stumbled over a broom. He inhaled sharply, landed on one foot, and barely kept his balance. He looked around in confusion when he heard enthusiastic clapping.

Two plain-looking girls were sitting in front of a wall. They had scattered random items around them: buckets, brooms, mops, planks of wood, and pieces of cloth. One girl smiled at him. "Bravo for balance!"

The other waved her hand apologetically. "Sorry, sorry! Our props got away from us."

"I think we got away from our props," the first girl said. "What's the skit supposed to be today?"

The second girl bowed her head thoughtfully. "Oh, good question. I think we changed the script right at the last second."

"Script?" Jonathan asked. "Are you putting on a play?"

"We are the illustrious Ohtori Drama Club," the second girl said as she puffed out her chest. "Of course we're putting on a play."

"What kind of play?" he asked. 

"All kinds!" the first girl answered. "Tragedies, comedies, dramas, parables. Tragi-comi-drama-bles."

He smiled. "Histories? Those are my favorite."

The second girl nodded enthusiastically. "Ooh, we love histories. Those tend to be tragi-comi-drama-bles, anyway."

"...Do you take auditions?" he asked tentatively. While the sports clubs had been welcoming, he already knew that he was decent at them. The drama club seemed like something strange and new.

The first girl tapped her chin. "Hmm. We're a pretty exclusive troupe... but I guess we can give you a shot. How about we start you off as a stagehand, and then you can work your way up?"

He clapped his hands together. "Yes! That sounds like a lot of fun."  
  
"Perfect!" The second girl pointed at a box overstuffed with props. "You can start by carrying that."

* * *

Dio looked up from his reading when Jonathan tromped through the door. He looked tired but elated. He waved a rose-sealed envelope as he spoke. "My club activity ran a bit late, but this letter was under the front door. It isn't marked, but we are the only ones living here." He set it down on the desk and began unpacking his school bag.  
  
"Well," Dio said as he closed his book, "aren't you going to open it?"

"Oh! Yeah." He picked at the wax with his nail and pulled the thick envelope open. He frowned and turned it over; a white ring with an engraved rose crest fell onto the desk. "It's not a letter, it's a ring."

Dio stood and approached the desk, staring at the ring intently. "There's nothing else in the envelope? It doesn't say who it's for?"

Jonathan pulled the envelope open and peered inside. "No, there's nothing else." He gave Dio a cautious glance. "Why, do you want it?"

Dio snatched the ring and slid it on, then held his hand up to get a better look. "It's not like you would wear it. I'll take it."

"Isn't that what the student council members wear?" Jonathan tilted his head inquisitively and tried to get a better look.

"I think anyone can wear it," Dio replied flatly. "It's just the class ring. This one must be complimentary."

"Hm." Jonathan shrugged and returned to unpacking his bag. Dio peered at the ring and tilted his hand; it glinted in the light but revealed nothing further.


	3. Chapter 3

Jonathan picked up his lunch and looked out over the courtyard, searching for Miki. Even though they left their class together and arrived at the dining hall at the same time, Miki knew exactly what he wanted for lunch while Jonathan wavered and considered every option available. Miki’s decisiveness gave him the advantage of being able to claim a good table before the space became too crowded, which Jonathan was thankful for. 

Jonathan spotted a familiar head of hair and walked over with a smile. “Hey, did you see that there was a rhubarb crisp today? Do they usually put out desserts? Oh. Um.” He stammered and felt his face flush as he realized he was not talking to Miki, but instead a young girl who looked an awful lot like him. “Ha! Sorry! I thought you were someone else. I’m a new transfer student, so I’m still getting to know everyone. My name’s Jonathan Joestar but everyone calls me Jojo.” He adjusted his tray to hold it in the crook of one arm and held out another hand in greeting.

The young girl peered at him coolly, but when she held out her hand there was a glimmer in her eye. “Nice to meet you, Jojo. So, you’re new here, huh? Have you got a girlfriend?”

“What?” He felt his face flush further. “Huh?”

Miki grabbed Jonathan by the elbow and began guiding him away from the table while muttering under his breath. “Seriously, Kozue. I’m sorry,” he said to Jonathan, his expression troubled and tense. “She’s just…”

“I thought that was you,” Jonathan blurted out. Miki let go of him as they reached the correct table, where Juri was snickering.

“Not funny,” Miki said tersely as he took his seat. 

“Sorry, sorry.” Juri was still smirking as she stabbed a fork into her salad.

Jonathan gave them a helpless look as he set his tray on the table. “What was all that about?”

Miki glared down at his sandwich as if it had insulted him. Juri took a sip of water and nodded at Jonathan. “Don’t worry too much about it. That was Miki’s twin sister. She finds a lot of fun in being provocative.”

Miki pulled the tomatoes off his sandwich and flung them down onto his plate. “It’s so embarrassing.”

Jonathan frowned as he took a bite of his rhubarb crumble. “You two don’t get along?”

“That’s an understatement.” Juri looked up and raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Oh my. Finally, he graces us with his presence. Where have you been?”

“Busy,” Touga answered as he pulled over a chair. “How is your shoulder, Jojo?”

“Oh, um. It’s fine.” Jonathan put his fork down. He felt a bit queasy. Saionji was a fellow student council member, and while Miki and Juri didn’t seem like they were friends with him he didn’t know how they would react to them having fought.

“Oh, right. You fought Saionji,” Juri said.

Miki nodded. “Can’t say he didn’t deserve it.”

Well, that was much easier than he had expected. Jonathan slumped forward with relief.

“Our good friend Saionji lost twice yesterday,” Touga said. Miki and Juri stared at him as he nonchalantly took a bite of his sandwich. He turned towards Jonathan and waved his hand towards the rhubarb crisp. “Oh, I didn’t even notice that they had that today. Is it good?”

“Yeah!” He motioned towards the plate with his fork. “Do you want to try some?”

“Thank you, but I’ll pass. Sweet things can upset my stomach.” Touga glanced at Miki, who was still giving him a peculiar stare; Juri had already returned her attention to her salad, but she looked pensive. Touga ran a hand through his hair and leaned back in his seat. “I trust that you can all make it to the student council meeting at the end of the activity period?”

“Of course,” Juri replied flatly.

* * *

Dio was about to go to the dining hall for lunch when Wakaba flagged him down so exuberantly it was impossible to pretend to ignore her. Despite her humiliation the day before, she had bounced back with extra force. “Happy second day of school!” She held up a box wrapped in cloth. “I made a big lunch for sharing if you want to come join us in the courtyard. I promise that it’s way better than the dining hall food.”

Wakaba and the relatively empty courtyard were preferable to the loud, crowded dining hall, if only by a hair. He smiled. “I’d be glad to. Who all have you invited?”

There was a minute faltering in her cheerful demeanor that caught his interest. “Well, Utena of course. She might bring another friend, too. Himemiya, I think.” She led him through an archway and pointed towards a grassy slope. “Ooh, she’s already here!”

Utena was sitting in the grass waving happily at them. Beside her was the quiet girl from the greenhouse. 

Wakaba set down the boxed lunch and sat right beside Utena. “Did you get your room assignment yet or are you going to have to stay at your aunt’s again?”

“I’m supposed to get it by the end of the day,” Utena replied. “That one secretary, the one that always gets on my case about the uniform, she told me I’d have it by then.”

Wakaba crossed her fingers and scrunched her eyes shut. “Please get a room in my building, please get a room in my building, pleasegetaroominmybuilding.”

Dio sat a few feet away from Wakaba and peered over at Himemiya, who was smiling while observing Wakaba’s antics. Utena reached over to open up the boxed lunch, but Wakaba smacked her hand away. “Let me walk you through it! The first layer is—”

Himemiya leaned forward and turned her smile towards Dio. “You’re one of the new students, right? Dio Brando? It’s nice to meet you. I hope the school is treating you well.” 

He smiled back but bit the inside of his cheek. He had made a point of introducing himself with his first name only; he didn’t mind being called Brando, exactly, but how the hell did she know—

“There was a notice on the bulletin listing all the new transfers,” she said. “The student council president wanted everyone to greet you since he couldn’t do it himself. Oh, that reminds me. Did you get a welcome gift?”

He held up his hand. “The class ring?”

Utena looked over with wide eyes. “How—?”

“Oh, by welcome gift, I meant the little stationery set or, oh! I have…” Himemiya reached into her bag and pulled out a small box with a bow on it. “Candies. Would you like them?”

“Hold on,” Utena said as Wakaba tried to pull her attention back to the boxed lunch. “How did you get a ring?”

“It was mailed to my dormitory,” Dio answered. “Why, how did you get yours?”

Utena frowned and looked down at the grass. Wakaba leaned back and pursed her lips. “Ooh, storytime.”

“Well,” Utena began, and her face was unsure as she looked everywhere but at her small audience, “it sounds kind of silly.”

“It’s not silly, it’s a good story!” Wakaba insisted. “I’ll tell it if you won't.”

“No, no, it’s just…” She trailed off and drew one knee close to her chest. “Part of it is serious. My parents died when I was very young,” she said, merely stating a fact, not tingeing it with melancholy or self-pity. “I don’t remember them very well, but I do remember that around that time, I met a prince. He gave this to me,” she said as she held up her hand, “and he promised that if I wore it, if I lived nobly and with pride, then the ring would lead me back to him someday.” She gave a half-smile and glanced over at Dio. “That’s pretty much it.”

Wakaba wrapped her arm around Utena’s shoulder and pulled her close. “Aw, Utena, you didn’t tell me that first part last time.”

“It’s a happy story and a sad story, I guess. Sometimes I just leave the sad part off.” She looked apologetically at Dio, whose expression was hard to read. “Sorry to be so blunt about it.”

Well, here was a connection he could forge (and use to his advantage, but that went without saying), but was he willing to trade information about himself to make it (London felt so very far away here, and did he _really_ care?)

If the mysterious rings were more than just memorabilia, Utena would be a good ally to have. He made up his mind.

“It’s fine,” he replied. “My parents are dead, too.” 

Wakaba frowned and looked at him with pity, which made him force down a swell of sudden rage. Himemiya merely continued to peer at him with interest, but she drew one hand close to her heart as if surprised. Utena scratched the back of her head and smiled nervously, but she was clearly sympathetic. “Hah. We can start the Ohtori orphan club.”

“We might as well,” Dio replied with a grin. “There’s a club for everything else.”

* * *

The school day finished and most students returned to their dorms. Dio sat at his desk and began to study. Jonathan meandered his way deskward and was prepared to begin doing his homework as well when he looked out the window and saw luggage sitting outside the dormitory entrance.

“Someone must be moving in,” he said. “I’m glad! This building is too big and too empty.”

“I thought the attendant said no one else was moving in,” Dio replied.

Jonathan gave a thoughtful _hm._ “Maybe it changed at the last minute.” He glanced back at his homework, then out the window. “I’m going to go investigate.”

Dio ignored him. Jonathan ventured out into the hallway and was gone for a few minutes, but soon heavy footsteps came pounding back and he threw open the door.

“Dio! I didn’t get a good look, but I could hear them,” Jonathan whisper-yelled. “We _do_ have neighbors now! And they’re girls!”

“Oh, however shall we cope,” Dio responded, not looking up from his book.

“What should we do?”

“What should we do?” Dio frowned. “What is there to do? They’re just neighbors. What are you worried about? Cooties?”

“Shouldn’t we do a housewarming or something to introduce ourselves?”

“Housewarming?” he scoffed. “This is a dormitory.”

“I’m going to bake a cake!” Jonathan exclaimed. He dashed away before Dio could say anything.

* * *

Jonathan absolutely did not know how to bake a cake. He clattered through the spacious dormitory kitchen until he found the pots and pans he thought he needed. He stared at the pantry.

He ran back to his room. “Dio, do you know how to bake a cake?”

“No.” He did know, but he wasn’t about to help Jojo bumble his way around the kitchen.

Jonathan began digging through the various books piled around his desk. “I wonder if I managed to bring a cookbook with me at all…”

Someone knocked on the doorframe. Jonathan and Dio both looked over. Utena gave a little wave. “Hi, new neighbors!”

“Oh, you got assigned to this dorm?” Dio finally tore his attention away from his homework and gave Utena a nod of recognition.

“Yeah, finally.” She smiled at Jonathan. “Hey, I don’t think we’ve met. Wait.” Her eyes went wide. “Oh! You’re the guy who punched Saionji!”

Jonathan winced and mentally prepared himself for the worst. Dio looked back at him and there was a dark amusement in his expression that usually signified that he had done something that only Jonathan would regret. 

Utena only laughed and leaned against the doorframe. “Good for you, honestly. I think he could learn from being knocked down a few pegs.”

Ah, so the version of the story he had told Wakaba hadn’t gained any traction. Oh well. Dio turned his attention back to Utena. “Are you rooming with someone?”

Another voice came from the hallway. “Miss Utena? Oh, there you are.” Himemiya stood in the doorway and gave a little bow. “Hello, Brando; Hello, Joestar. I’m Anthy Himemiya. I’ll be rooming with Utena.”

Jonathan felt a little jolt of nervousness; the last time he had seen Anthy he had nearly knocked her over. He had also noticed the brief shadow of displeasure that passed over Dio at being called Brando. “Hello, nice to meet you! And you can just call me Jojo; everybody does.”

Anthy gave a small nod. “Did you get your welcome present?”

“Welcome present? I don’t think I did. Unless it was that—”

She held out a small box with a bow on it. “Would you like some candies?”

“Oh!” He beamed. “Absolutely! Thank you!” He took the box and pulled off the bow, then removed the lid. His smile faltered. “Oh. Um. It’s empty?”

The inside of Anthy’s bag rustled. A small head with big round ears popped out, its mouth smeared with pink sugar.

“Oh, Chu-chu, you ate the welcome gift,” Anthy said without a hint of reproach.

* * *

Utena and Anthy finished settling into their new dorm room; Jonathan abandoned the cake baking plan and scarfed down an early dinner before running out to do a club activity; Dio returned to studying and once the sun was nearly set he realized that he would have to eat something. He went to the kitchen and settled on something simple; breakfast for dinner would take almost no time to make at all. He could go out afterward and enjoy a long, solitary evening walk.

He finished cooking and took his plate into the dining room that was better suited to fitting twenty people instead of the scant four that currently lived there. Despite the size of the room, he felt a flash of vague annoyance at having to share it with Anthy, who was sitting at the table and reading a notebook. She looked up at him and smiled. “Oh, B—”

“I prefer to just be called Dio,” he said flatly as he took a seat a fair distance away from her. 

“Breakfast,” she continued, pointing at his plate. “What a nice idea, breakfast for dinner.”

He didn’t respond. Anthy returned her attention to her notebook. He was halfway finished with his eggs when she spoke up again.

“Did you know the Mona Lisa is nearly four hundred years old?” she said pensively as she wrote something into the notebook. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, so she continued. “I wonder how old it will get. I suppose if you take good care of it, a painting can last a very long time.” She finished writing a line into the notebook and tilted her head. “Do you know any other fun facts? I like to write them in here,” she said, gesturing toward the notebook, “because I usually don’t have much to say.”

Dio pursed his lips. “What is that, your diary?”

She nodded. “Yes. My exchange diary.”

“Exchange?”

“With Saionji.”

He frowned. “You share a diary with Saionji?”

“Yes.” She leaned back in her seat and peered out the window. “Oh. Excuse me for a moment.” She stood and pushed her chair in, then briskly walked out of the dining room. Dio watched her leave with an expression trapped between disgust and confusion. Once she was gone, he stood and grabbed the exchange diary. There were two distinct writing styles inside: angular letters and expressive sentences, presumably from Saionji, which were occasionally accompanied by colorful doodles; Anthy’s responses were generally short and neat.

Utena strolled into the dining room, stretching one arm back over her shoulder. “Hey, have you seen Himemiya?”

Dio turned and tucked the exchange diary behind him. “She just left. I don’t know where she went.”

She frowned. “Chu-chu’s been acting weird. I don’t know if he’s hungry or something, but—” She squinted at the window. “Wait.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “Ugh. Seriously?”

Dio went to her side and peered out at the courtyard. He could see Anthy, and then a few feet beyond her, a devastated looking Saionji.

“Jeez, can’t he take a hint?” Utena jogged towards the door. “I better get out there before he does something stupid.”

Dio continued watching through the window. Anthy was talking, but as she spoke the expression on Saionji’s face only grew angrier. Eventually, his rage grew to a breaking point and he swung his hand with such force that Anthy fell to the side. Saionji drew back and stared down at her as he wiped the hand that hit her onto his jacket. The front door of the dormitory flew open; Dio could hear Utena yelling. She ran to Anthy’s side and held her as she glared up at Saionji.

“You again… good timing.” Saionji squared his shoulders. “I lost the duel because I let my guard down. Why don’t we settle once and for all who shall possess the Rose Bride?” He crossed his arms. “I want a return match in the arena tomorrow, after class.”

Utena glowered as she stood. “This is ridiculous. I refuse to fight another meaningless duel. I fought you yesterday because of Wakaba! For my friend! I don’t care about this Rose Bride stuff!”

Saionji went to say something, but he paused when he saw another figure in the dormitory entranceway. Dio leaned against the door, crossed his legs, and held up the open exchange diary. “Dear Anthy, even now I still dream about it,” he read aloud. “‘Of when you and I were engaged. My beloved Anthy, I’m sorry for how long you’ve had to wait. Soon, we will regain our rosy life together.’ Oh, this is _rich_.” 

Saionji was frozen, so shocked he couldn’t even respond. Dio smirked at him. “The bulletin board is a great place to feature such romantic poetry, don’t you think?”

“You… this has nothing to do with you,” Saionji spat. “Give that back or I’ll—”

“Oh, you’re welcome to it.” Dio tossed the diary to the ground. “I already tore out the best pages. I think I’ll hold on to those ones. Anyway, what were you saying about a duel?”

“You can’t— you’re not— the duels aren’t your business.”

“Yes they are,” Utena said. “He has a ring, too.”

“What!” Saionji exclaimed as he took a step back. 

“You’re the student council vice president, right?” Dio stepped forward to stand at Utena’s side. “Can I duel you for your title?”

Saionji sneered at him. “That’s not how this works. Who the hell do you think you are, barging into the school’s affairs like this? Anthy, tell him,” he said pleadingly. “You know what the rules are.”

“You can only challenge the current champion,” she said quietly.

Utena grinned at Dio. “Hey, want to duel me? I don’t want to be champion, anyway.”

He nodded. “Sure.”

“No!” Saionji exclaimed. “You can’t just—”

“When do you want to duel?” Anthy asked.

“Can we just get it over with now?” Utena replied. “Do we have to go through the whole thing with the arena?”

Anthy gave a thoughtful _hm_. “The arena is required,” she finally said.

Utena sighed. “It’s kind of late and we’d have to go back onto the main campus. Are we able to get in?”

“Yes,” Anthy answered. 

Saionji sputtered with rage and Utena grinned. Dio couldn’t help but smile back. “Well, shall we? I wanted to go for a walk, anyway.”

* * *

As the sun set, shadows were cast upon the wall.

“Doctor, doctor, help me!” one shadow said. “I had a rash on my foot, but when you treated it, it moved to my elbow, and when you treated _that_ , it went to my ear!”

“Ah, see, I told you,” the second shadow said. “You have Old Maid-itis. You can’t get rid of that rash, you can only move it around.”

“But I’ve spent so much time and money on the treatment!” the first shadow wailed. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Well, there is a very rare, very special way, but I’m not sure you’re _really_ ready to do it.” The second shadow held out a hand expectantly. An arm reached out from the side and placed a glittering red stone in her palm.

The girls paused. “Er, Jojo, wrong prop,” said the first girl.

“Oh! Sorry!” The arm returned and switched the stone for a spiky looking fruit.

“Ahem. As I was saying,” the second shadow continued, “if you eat this special medicinal fruit, you can get rid of this rash, but you will have to give it to someone else.”

“Someone else!” the first shadow exclaimed.

“Someone else,” the second shadow repeated.

The first shadow reached out, knife and fork in hand. “Gimme, gimme.”

* * *

“Saionji, there’s no reason for you to come with us,” Utena grumbled. “You’re gonna have your duel tomorrow.”

“I don’t like this,” Saionji hissed. “Why would yet another person from outside the student council have a rose seal? Why wouldn’t I know about it?”

Anthy opened a large metal gate that squeaked as it swung inward. She turned and looked back at them. “Just the duelists beyond this point, please.”

“Anthy, you can’t be allowing this farce of a duel,” Saionji complained.

Utena rolled her eyes and shouldered past Saionji. “Come on, Dio. Let’s get this over with. Himemiya and I haven’t even eaten dinner yet.” 

They left an angry and dejected Saionji at the gate. Anthy looked up at a dense and dark forest. “I will go first. Then, Miss Utena. Then you,” she said, nodding towards Dio.

Dio frowned. “Go? Go where?”

“Just follow the path,” Utena replied. “Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it.”

* * *

What followed felt like a dream—a watery gate, shifting stone, a spiral ascent into the sky, the sky spreading out wide and revealing a luminous shape—an upside-down castle hanging impossibly in the air above the dueling arena. Dio felt adrift until he looked down and saw Utena, simply standing there and grinning, absurdly normal in the strange surroundings.

“What is this,” he asked. 

Utena scratched the back of her head. “The dueling arena,” she answered. “I’m really not the person to ask. This is only my second time up here.”

He looked to the far end of the arena where Anthy was standing silently. At some point she had changed; she looked like a princess from a storybook, wearing a rich red gown and a small golden tiara. She held up two roses: one yellow and one white. She strode over to Utena and affixed the white rose to her chest pocket, then approached Dio and gave the yellow rose to him. “If the rose is knocked from your chest, you lose,” she stated.

“Alright, let’s go.” Utena grabbed her own rose and gave Anthy an inquisitive look. “Can I just—?”

Anthy nodded. “That is allowed. But first, the sword.”

"Oh. Right." Utena's expression grew serious and she held out an arm. Anthy leaned back against her and began to speak quietly, her hands lifted in front of her chest as if in prayer, and then there was a light—

Dio lifted a hand to shield his eyes and watched as the light grew and manifested into a sword. Utena pulled it out from Anthy's chest and it gleamed strangely. In the distance, he heard the tolling of a bell—

Utena pulled the rose from her jacket and tossed it to the ground. The sword disappeared as quickly as it came. “Oh nooo, I lost. There, now you're the champion duelist.”

Dio stared at her. Was she not impressed with the obviously otherworldly power on display here? Or was she just too stupid to care that she was just giving it up without a real fight?

"Saionji is going to duel you tomorrow," Utena said, "but you should still be careful after that. The other student council members are going to want to duel you, too."

He turned his attention to Anthy, whose face was customarily blank. "And if I defeat them all?"  
  
Anthy looked up at the castle but said nothing. Utena smiled apologetically. "Good question. But hey, maybe you'll find out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, thanks 4 reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Once back at the dormitory, Utena made a beeline for the kitchen while talking mostly to herself about recipes; Dio began to ascend the stairwell but stopped when he noticed that Anthy was following him. “I thought you were going to eat dinner,” he said with a frown.

“Ah, I’m going to my room first,” she replied.

Dio went up the rest of the steps, walked over to his room, and swung open the door. Jonathan had returned before him; now he was slumped over his desk and pouting at his homework. He glanced at Dio briefly but his serious expression brightened with soft surprise. “Oh! Hello, Himemiya.”

She gave a small bow as she followed Dio into the room. “How do you do?”

Dio turned on his heel, perplexed as he peered down at her. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, you’re not familiar with the rules of the Rose Seal,” she said with a smile. “You’re the current champion. We may now share a room, as I am engaged to you.”

Dio squinted at her in incomprehension; Jonathan leaned back so far in his chair that he nearly toppled over. “Dio! We’ve been here for two days and you’ve gotten _engaged?_ ”

Dio glared back at Jonathan. “There’s—there’s been a misunderstanding.”

Anthy tapped her chin as she looked at the layout of the room. “Ah, I see. This is a double and there are already two people living here.” She nodded slowly. “I will sleep on the floor.”

Jonathan made a choked noise of shock. “Now, hold on a second—”

However amusing it would be to make Jonathan give up his bed for Anthy, Dio did not want to share his valued personal space with someone that came across as an absolute doormat. Even Jojo had at least punched him back before. He waved his hand towards the hallway. “Let’s discuss this outside.”

Anthy made her way back into the corridor and Dio pulled the door shut behind him, blocking off the befuddled Jonathan. He narrowed his eyes at her, but she only peered back with a vaguely pleasant blankness. “Explain.”

“I am the Rose Bride. I belong to whoever is the current champion of the duels.” She gave another small bow. “You are the current champion now, so by the rules of the rose seal, we are engaged.”

Oh, so all that Rose Bride talk from Saionji wasn’t just pet names. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

Utena called up from downstairs. “Himemiya? Where’d you go? I thought you wanted to eat breakfast for dinner with me.”

Dio almost sneered. “Did she know this would happen?”

Anthy tilted her head thoughtfully. “I suppose.”

He dashed over to the stairwell, where Utena paused on the landing and looked up at him. “Hey, have you seen Himemiya?”

He frowned at her. “Yes. She’s trying to move in with me.”

Utena grinned guiltily and stretched one arm behind her back. “Oh boy.” She glanced behind him to where Anthy was standing in the hallway. “Does it really have to be so extreme?”

“Not unless he tells me otherwise,” Anthy replied.

“I mean, all your stuff is already moved into my room,” Utena added. “Plus you spent so much time tidying the place. Wouldn’t you prefer to just room with me?”

She nodded at Dio. “If he says so.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Just stay with Utena.”

Anthy nodded. “Of course.”

* * *

Jonathan was wide-eyed as Dio stormed back into the room. “What was all that, then?”

Dio scowled at him. “None of your business.”

Jonathan paused, weighed the costs and benefits of pushing it any further, then turned back to his homework with a sigh.

He had become pretty good at ignoring Dio, more so than he had expected, especially in this shared room. Back at the mansion, they had lived in separate quarters, yet Dio kept shoving his way into his day-to-day life in increasingly alarming ways. Here, though, Jonathan felt grateful that they had both silently agreed to an invisible wall between them. For as much as they spoke now, they may as well have been staying in different rooms, if not different dormitories altogether.

It would have been too lonely, Jonathan thought, if it wasn’t for his newfound friends. The girls in the drama club were strange and a bit standoffish towards him but they were endlessly entertaining. Miki was a great lunch-buddy and Juri, while intimidating at first, was kind to him. Utena seemed like she would be a fun neighbor, and Anthy… well, she was a bit odd, but didn’t everyone have their own peculiarities to contend with?

* * *

Morning arrived and they left the dormitory as a group. Dio strode ahead as if trying to avoid associating with them; Anthy was able to match his brisk pace, which only seemed to spur him faster.

Jonathan gave Utena a look of concern. “What’s going on with them?”

She swung her bag and smiled nervously. “You remember Saionji, right?”

“Of course.” He frowned.

“Well, he obviously wasn’t the nicest person. Especially to Himemiya. He came to the dorm last night and he was really angry with her. Dio, well, he shut Saionji up quick.” She grinned. “It was pretty cool, actually. So now, Himemiya is…” She trailed off and her expression grew more thoughtful. “Dio’s a nice, normal guy, right?”

“Um.” Jonathan felt an icy chill and he turned his head to hide his terse frown. Nice and normal? Dio helping someone else without having a selfish ulterior motive was such an alien concept that Jonathan almost stopped walking. Utena tilted her head at him in confusion.

But going to a new school did mean turning a new leaf, right? Dio had seen how Saionji was towards Anthy; wouldn’t anybody, even Dio, want to intervene? Jonathan felt prickly with guilt. He gave Utena a strained half-smile and nodded.

Utena looked like she was about to press him further but she was nearly knocked over by Wakaba, who had sprinted up and leapt onto her back like a lovable cheetah taking down a gazelle.

“Utena! How was your first night in the ghost dorm?” She let go of Utena and dropped to the ground with her arms spread wide for balance.

“It isn’t scary or anything. It’s just a totally normal dorm.” Utena smiled and gestured towards Jonathan, then up towards Anthy and Dio. “We all ended up with rooms there.” 

Jonathan raised his eyebrows. “Ghost dorm?”

“Oh, don’t you know?” Wakaba leaned towards him and whispered conspiratorially. “That dorm hasn’t been used in ten years! Everyone thinks that it’s super haunted.”

“Really? It looked pretty nice inside for being abandoned for a decade. Why hasn’t it been used?”

“Well, I’m not a big fan of ghost stories myself,” Wakaba admitted, “but people have seen the lights go on and off, figures standing in the windows, things like that.” She pulled an exaggerated frightened face. “Ohtori is a really old school, so it has a lot of places people think are haunted. That’s why I’m glad I ended up in one of the new dorms.”

“Really! Interesting.” Jonathan did enjoy a good ghost story. Perhaps Miki or one of the other student council members could tell him more.

* * *

Morning classes came to an end. Jonathan frowned down at his algebra notes, sighed, and shoved them into his bag. “I really do wonder if I’m ever going to use this kind of knowledge again.”

Miki laughed. “You never know! Why, what do you want to do when you’re older?”

Jonathan shrugged and swung his bag over his shoulder. “That’s an excellent question. My father works in finance, but I don’t think I’d enjoy that very much. What do you want to do?”

Miki looked sheepish. “Well, I still have a lot of time to decide, but… I’m quite good at the piano. I think my family expects me to become a concert pianist.”

“Oh? I’m jealous! I don’t think I have a musical bone in my body.” Jonathan grinned as he held the classroom door open for him. “How long have you been playing?”

“As long as I can remember,” Miki answered, and there was a curiously melancholic tone to his voice. “Oh, Juri! I thought your class was on the other side of the wing.”

Juri was leaning against the wall as if she had been waiting for them. She gave them a languid wave before crossing her arms and walking at Miki’s side. “It is. I just left early.” She leaned down to match Miki’s height; it struck Jonathan that she was quite tall compared to him (not as tall as Jonathan himself, but _still_.) “Let’s just say that your favorite rose has changed hands again.”

Miki looked bewildered. Juri pursed her lips. “I didn’t want you to be _too_ surprised at the next meeting.”

“But we didn’t even get a letter,” Miki said nervously.

“I know.” Juri nodded at Jonathan. “Hey, Jojo. How’s math class with Miki? You know he skipped a grade to be in there, right?”

Jonathan made a noise of astonishment. “You’re a genius at the piano _and_ math?”

Miki lifted his hands to his face and groaned. Juri threw a supportive arm around his shoulder and laughed.

* * *

Dio strode through the halls, headed for the dining hall. He was determined to ask the student council more about this dueling ordeal. He would have liked to ask the president, but Touga’s whereabouts were as unknown as ever. Saionji didn’t seem to be around and Dio wondered if he would be too cowardly to follow through with his promised duel after the day’s classes ended. That left the secretary and the treasurer. Dio knew they ate lunch together, usually with Jojo, and while Dio would prefer to keep him in the dark about this whole Rose Bride nonsense, he supposed it couldn’t be helped unless he found a way to get him to leave the table.

Once at the dining hall, he grabbed an empty tray, filled a glass with grape juice, and peered out over the seats. Juri, Miki, and Jonathan were already sitting together. He shouldered past the other students, keeping the glass of juice carefully balanced on the tray, and went straight to their table.

“Beautiful weather today, isn’t it?” Dio said with affected pleasantness as he used one hand to pull a chair over to the table while the other balanced the tray. “Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all,” Juri responded, and she frowned at the precarious placement of the glass of juice.

Dio dropped the tray onto the table carelessly. The glass tottered. He swung his hand toward it as if to right it, but he overextended and it tipped over the lip of the tray and fell onto the table. “Oh. Oops. Sorry, Jojo.”

Jonathan’s lips were pressed into a flat, firm line. He stared at the growing purplish stain on his lap. Dio held out a napkin to him and he looked at it blankly.

Miki winced. “Oh, that’s going to stain. Hey, I know where the extra uniforms are stored. Let’s go get you a replacement.”

Jonathan nodded and stood. Miki led him out of the dining hall and once Jonathan was sure he was absolutely out of Dio’s earshot he allowed himself to complain. “He doesn’t even _like_ grape juice,” he said quietly. Miki gave him a quizzical look and he shook his head.

* * *

Juri watched Dio with narrowed eyes as Miki and Jonathan left. Dio gave her as innocent an expression as he could manage in return.

“So.” Juri crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “I’m going to take a guess and say you have questions for the student council.”

“Of course.” He placed the empty glass back on the tray and used the napkin to wipe up the few splashes that had landed on the table. “I take it you know I’m the champion, now.”

Juri nodded. “Saionji certainly hasn’t stopped whining about it.”

“Oh, is he here today?” Dio tilted his head and tossed the napkin onto the tray. “I haven’t seen him around. I thought he might have stayed home to recover from his broken heart.”

“Speaking of which.” Juri raised an eyebrow as she looked behind him. Dio smirked as he turned in his seat, looking forward to gloating over the vice president—

Anthy gave a little wave and smiled as she held up a lacquered box. “Hello! I brought you lunch!”

He frowned and Juri snickered. Anthy maintained her usual smile as she took a seat beside him. She opened the box and gestured at the contents. “It should still be warm. I made rice milk with cinnamon and allspice, freshly baked pretzels, and jellied eel.”

He stared down at the box with an expression of perplexed repulsion. This was (all too familiar) cheap and easy London street food.

“Oh, Himemiya, I don’t know how Saionji did it,” Juri said as she rested her chin in her palm. “The man must still be malnourished.” She looked at Dio and there was a glimmer of amusement in her eye. “Just be grateful it isn’t a pile of shaved ice.”

“I don’t want this,” he said aloud, his voice tinged with a disgust that surprised even himself as he spoke. Juri quirked an eyebrow and Anthy peered up at him blankly. 

“Of course,” Anthy replied. “No problem at all. Chu-chu can eat it.” She glanced down at her bag. “Isn’t that right, Chu-chu?”

That Himemiya would try to feed him the same street scraps she would otherwise just pass along to her pet… he felt a harsh twinge of rage that he _knew_ was irrational and yet he felt it all the same. Juri was staring at him, her eyes cold.

“Not a fan of the Rose Bride?” Juri asked. “You’re going to duel Saionji tonight. Go ahead and lose.”

“I’m not going to lose to that trash,” Dio said with a scowl.

Juri shrugged and took a bite of her salad. “Saionji is the kendo club captain and he’s been training for years. Have you ever used a sword?”

He refused to let his confidence falter. “No, but I’ve fought plenty. If he’s only done organized club duels, then he doesn’t know what to do in a _real_ fight.”

Juri laughed and Dio’s hands tightened into fists. “I hate to have to defend Saionji, but I think you’re underestimating him,” she said with a wry smile.

Dio glared at her and she simply tilted her head in amusement. The tense silence between them was broken by noisy nibbling.

“Ah, Chu-chu, not so fast.” Anthy pulled a pretzel away from him and he whined, his cheeks bulging with packed-in food. “Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”

* * *

One shadow lounged on the floor while the other leaned against the wall. “Which story shall we do today?” the first shadow asked.

“Well, we have these cowboy costumes I’ve just been dying to use,” the second shadow answered. “What do you think, Jojo?”

“I like the bear story,” he answered from his spot adjacent to the stage. “It’s rather good.”

The first shadow hummed thoughtfully. “It is, it is. Even though it’s so sad.”

“But it’s a little too obvious, isn’t it?” The second shadow waved her hand as if giving a lecture. “There shall be no miracles without sacrifices. To be cornered by a ravenous bear and live is a miracle. To escape only because the bear ate your brother is a sacrifice.”

“Human sacrifice,” Jonathan said thoughtfully. “You always think of it as, well, something like taking out a man’s heart atop a pyramid. Dramatic.”

The first shadow pantomimed the action, her silhouette reaching into the chest of the other and pulling out an apple. “Ba-dum, ba-dum,” she said, mimicking a heartbeat before taking a hearty bite of the apple.

“I think there are smaller sacrifices, too,” he said, mostly to himself as the shadows continued their antics. The second shadow chased after the first with a play dagger and she yelped as it smacked against her back. She let out a pained wail and slowly fell to the floor before shivering and slumping over, dead.

Jonathan and the second shadow clapped politely. The first leapt to her feet and took a bow. “Thank you, thank you.”

* * *

The bright blue sky surrounded the dueling arena. Yellow and green roses were distributed. Above them, the castle loomed.

Saionji stood at the far end of the platform, holding his sword tightly. Dio tilted his head back and peered at him disdainfully. “I’m surprised you actually decided to show up. In honor of your dedication to the duel, let’s raise the stakes,” he said. “If you win, you get the Rose Bride back, of course. If I win, I get to post those diary pages on the bulletin board.”

“That’s skewed in your favor,” Saionji said with a scowl. “The Rose Bride is inherent to the duels. My exchange diary is not.”

“Fine, fine.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I’ll give you my month’s allowance if you win.”

“What? No,” Saionji said with a frown. “I don’t want that. If I win, I get one favor from you.”

“A favor? How vague.” He rolled his eyes and turned to Anthy. “I don’t intend to lose. Let’s get this over with.”

She gave a small nod, then drew her hands close to her chest. She closed her eyes, her expression calm but focused, and her fingers trailed over an invisible shape. “Rose of the noble castle,” she said quietly, and a strange light grew between her hands. The air around her shifted and pulled inwards as the light became larger. “Power of Dios that sleeps within me.”

“What?” Dio felt the vaguely awkward sensation that came when someone waved at you and you waved back, but it turned out they were waving to the person behind you. He raised a hand to shield his eyes.

Anthy continued and the light shimmered outward. “Heed your master, and come forth.” She leaned back and the light flashed brightly; the sword manifested out of her chest. Dio reached out and pulled at it with wary awe—

“What’s wrong with you?” Saionji shouted out. “You’re supposed to catch her!”

Dio had been so distracted by the appearance of the sword that he hadn’t even noticed Anthy leaning ever-farther back. He grit his teeth and threw one arm under her shoulder but her balance had already been lost and he dropped into a crouch with her as she fell.

“You don’t know anything about these duels, do you?” Saionji held up his sword. “You’ve just wandered into them, thinking you know what’s best when you know _nothing_.”

Anthy peered up at him blankly. Dio scowled and pulled his arm back as he stood. He brandished the sword. “Are you just going to whine or are we going to duel?”

Saionji came at him quickly, his sword blurring in a downward arc. Dio planted his feet, preparing for a harsh impact as he held up his sword to block the blow. The metal blades bit into each other with a loud clang. Saionji put his weight into pulling down and the metal shrieked as it slid down towards the hilt of Dio’s sword. Dio ducked and pulled his shoulder in; Saionji’s blade fell past him and hit the ground. He used his momentum to turn and drive his knee into Saionji’s ribs. Saionji grunted and swung his sword back. Dio jumped away as the sharp tip traveled in a wide arc. Before Saionji could fully react, Dio kicked out at the back of his knees. Saionji fell forward but caught himself, his palm pressed against the stone floor of the arena.

Dio took a few steps back and circled him, wary of Saionji trying to grab his legs. “Didn’t that other girl duel you, too? Utena? I think I can see why she won. How did _that_ failure feel?”

Saionji leapt up with an angry shout and lunged towards him. Dio just barely reacted fast enough to knock the sword away from his thigh. It hit him all at once that these were _real_ swords, and sharp, and yet he didn’t feel afraid. He felt _fantastic_. Saionji was fighting with a normal sword, after all. His own blade was...

Well, he didn’t care for the Rose Bride very much, but at least she was useful. Dio could feel instinctively that this was a powerful blade. It was _special_.

“The other student council members pity you, you know,” Dio said nonchalantly. “Don’t be too comfortable with your position. Eventually, their sense of charity will run out.”

“Would you shut up?” Saionji grit his teeth and lunged again. His patterns were becoming more predictable and Dio stepped out of the way with ease.

“Is getting the Rose Bride always so easy?” When Saionji advanced once more Dio sidestepped and kicked him almost playfully. “Or are you just the type that _enjoys_ seeing their beloved with someone else?”

Saionji feinted as if he would lunge once more and Dio reacted the same way he had been; he inhaled sharply with surprise when Saionji instead thrust the blade upward. Dio leaned back at the last second; if he hadn’t, the blade would have gone in his chin.

Saionji wasted no time boasting. He narrowed his eyes and sliced down diagonally, aiming straight for the yellow rose. The slash whiffed the air above the petals as Dio fell back and swung his sword up wildly, his arms moving mostly for balance as he stumbled.

The tip of the blade caught Saionji on the jaw and sliced a tiny cut. That didn’t concern him all too much; Saionji’s eyes were wide in shock as he looked down at the scattering petals of his rose.

“No!” He placed a hand over the remains of the rose as if he could hold it together. “You did that on accident!”

Dio stared at him as he evened out his breathing. He gestured towards Anthy with the sword. “Rules are rules, aren’t they? I won.”

Saionji looked at Anthy pleadingly. She merely blinked at him.

“You really don’t understand what you’re doing,” Saionji said to Dio. “I could… I could just challenge you again. You can react quickly, but your use of the sword is abysmal. I would win.”

Dio shrugged. “Perhaps you would. I don’t really care. But I _am_ looking forward to showcasing your poetry tomorrow. Unless, of course…” He trailed off. “I could be merciful. Don’t challenge me again and I won’t put up your diary pages.” He leaned forward and grinned. “If you help me become a better sword fighter, I’ll even let you see your dear Himemiya from time to time.” His expression grew more serious. “I’ll be honest with you, Saionji. I don’t care for her at all. You have nothing to worry about if she is with me.”

Saionji glowered at him. Dio smiled and waved his hand dismissively. “Consider it. There’s only time for one duel a day, right? Let me know what your decision is by the end of classes tomorrow.”

“You really don’t know,” Saionji said, but his voice was weak. He looked away.

In the distance, bells tolled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the last shadow girl play was of course about the jojolion rokakaka (with a short red stone of aja cameo); the story they mention this time is the backstory of hot pants in steel ball run
> 
> as always, thanks for reading and i hope u enjoy!


	5. Chapter 5

Touga was standing expectantly at the metal gate to the forest that hid the dueling arena. His arms were crossed behind his back and he looked up at Anthy and Dio as they approached. He gave a small bow. “Good evening.”

Anthy returned the gesture. “How do you do?”

Dio gave a curt nod. “President.”

“Congratulations on your victory, Dio,” Touga said as he began to walk alongside them. “Tell me, how does it feel to be the champion?”

Dio gave him a dubious look. “What, you’ve never won a duel?”

Touga shrugged. “I don’t like dueling. I have nothing to gain from it. Plus, Saionji is my dear old friend,” he said with the hint of a sardonic smile. “I wouldn’t have wanted to take such a prize as the Rose Bride away from my friend.”

Dio shot a glance at Anthy, who was staring off into the distance and not paying any attention to the conversation. He scowled. “She’s not the prize,” he said flatly. “The sword is.”

“The sword is a tool,” Touga corrected. “The prize is the castle. You’ve seen the castle, haven’t you?”

The castle… he must mean the brightly shining one that hung upside-down over the dueling arena, just close enough to reinforce how out-of-reach it was. Dio nodded. “What is it?”

“Inside the castle is the power to revolutionize the world as you see fit,” Touga answered. “The castle holds a miracle, an eternal thing. Heaven. Something that can be whatever you want it to be.”

Dio furrowed his eyebrows at him and Touga laughed. “If it cannot break its egg’s shell, a chick will die without being born,” he said, reciting it as if it were lines from a play. “We are the chick. The world is our egg. If we don’t crack the world’s shell, we will die without ever being born.” Touga smiled and gestured toward Anthy. “To possess the Rose Bride is to possess the tool that will smash the world’s shell. That is the true purpose of our student council, and by extension, the rose seal.” He held up his hand to show his white ring.

“Why her?” Dio asked without thinking as he looked at Anthy. At first he was surprised at himself, but then his conviction grew. Why should such absolute power be entrusted with someone so weak?

Touga leaned in conspiratorially. “Don’t think of her as a girl. Think of her as a tool, just like the sword. The Rose Bride essentially has no will of her own. She has no friends, no hobbies, no desires. Except, of course, to tend to the roses, and to be dedicated entirely to the victor of the duels. Isn’t that right, Anthy?”

Anthy turned to look at them and smiled, her eyes hidden by the glint of her glasses. “Of course.”

* * *

Morning came. Jonathan leaned his chin onto his palm and scooped potatoes up with his fork. “I just don’t know what to think. She’s really doting on him, isn’t she?”

Utena stirred her tea with a spoon. “She’s like that.” She frowned thoughtfully. “Doesn’t seem like he enjoys it much, though.”

Anthy was in the kitchen tidying the dishes; she had woken up earlier than everyone else and prepared breakfast. It was greasy and a bit too salty but edible. Jonathan was eating his portion happily; Utena had taken a smaller scoop and supplemented it with a biscuit; at the far end of the table, Dio was looking down at his plate as if it had been poisoned. Anthy had asked him if he was hungry (yes), if he wanted her to prepare something else (no response), had prepared something else anyway (pancakes, which were now growing cold beside his main dish), if he wanted tea (no), if he was feeling ill (no), and now that the dishes were drying on the rack she was about to check on him again. Before she made it to the table, he stood.

“I’m heading to campus,” he said flatly.

“Oh, let me get my bag,” Anthy replied.

“I want to walk alone.”

Anthy nodded. “Of course.”

He had nearly made it to the door when Anthy ran up to him. “Ah, don’t forget your scarf! There’s a chill today.”

He frowned, snatched the scarf from her hands, left, and then slammed the door shut behind him.

Jonathan pushed the last of his potatoes around on his plate. “She’s like a mother hen.”

Utena bit into her biscuit. “Mother or smother?”

* * *

Dio realized that he had skipped lunch the day before, barely ate his dinner last night, had refused breakfast this morning, and now hunger gnawed at his empty stomach. He was planning on meeting Saionji at the kendo hall during the activity period and he wanted to scout the place out early. That still left him with time for lunch, but he hadn’t packed his meal and if he went to the dining hall he would have to share the space with Jojo and, more importantly, Juri. Dio had decided that he didn’t like Juri. If she knew that he essentially won the last duel by accident, then she’d try to bring it up and bruise his pride.

He also didn’t know if he could take Anthy accosting him with more of her awful cooking.

Maybe he could just wait until after school and have a hearty dinner. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been hungry for longer before. But then a prickle of anger struck him; he was the current champion, wasn’t he? Juri could complain all she wanted but she wasn’t the winner, _he_ was. He had no reason to care about what she thought.

“Hey! Dio!” Wakaba waved at him cheerily. “Want to join me for lunch? I brought one to share again.”

Well, that was a welcome relief. “Sure.” He went to join her but paused with a frown. “Who all will be there?”

“Just Utena today, I think.” She smiled sheepishly.

“Not Himemiya?” he asked.

“Well, um,” she stammered and looked away. “I don’t think so. She’s doing her chores in the rose garden today.”

He tilted his head. “You don’t like Himemiya, do you?”

“No! Oh, wait. Not as in ‘no, I don’t like her’, but…” She glanced to the side guiltily and shrugged. “I mean… I heard lots of bad rumors about what she did to a popular boy, and she isn’t very popular herself. But I think… I mean, Utena seems to like her, and Utena is my friend, so Himemiya can be my friend, too.”

“Rumors?” He leaned in with interest. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, I try not to get into that stuff.” She waved her hand dismissively. “But didn’t she just break up with Saionji? I mean, I didn’t really think they were dating in the first place. But everyone’s talking about it.”

He gave a thoughtful _hmm_ in reply but didn’t push the topic further.

* * *

Jonathan chewed his sandwich thoughtfully. “Hey, Miki. Do you know any good ghost stories?”

“Ghost stories?” Miki leaned back and tapped his fingers on his chin. “Like, _any_ ghost story, or a specific kind?”

“Do you know any that take place in Ohtori?”

Miki was pensive. “Yes, actually. There’s plenty. Like if you step on the thirteenth stair of the fencing hall stairwell at exactly four P.M., then you will be cursed with bad luck.”

“That’s not a ghost story, that’s just a superstition,” Jonathan replied with a laugh.

“Well, it’s a ghost that curses you for walking on that step,” Miki retorted. “Or something like that. Oh! There’s one about the west dormitory. People see a figure standing in the window of a storage room that has been locked for years.” He sighed. “I investigated it, though. It’s just an oddly shaped armoire.”

Juri took a seat and slammed her tray onto the table, her posture tense with anger. Jonathan and Miki stared at her with concern.

“Be ready for a student council meeting during the free period,” she said to Miki. “Last night was the most unearned victory I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Miki winced and Jonathan blinked at her in befuddlement. “Oh, um, I remembered another one,” Miki said to Jonathan with a strained smile. “The research hall. They only recently rebuilt it, but a long time ago, the building collapsed and a hundred students were buried alive inside.” 

“What!” Jonathan went wide-eyed and leaned forward. “A _hundred_ students?”

“I’m sure it’s exaggerated,” Miki replied, “but that’s the story. There are some records of it in the library. An accident did happen there. I think there were plans to memorialize it.”

Juri stabbed her salad with her fork as if she were trying to kill it. “Hey, Jojo. You’re roommates with Dio, right?”

He felt a prickle of dread. “Yes?”

She loaded her fork up with leafy greens, looked at it with a faint scowl, and then put it back down again. “What kind of person is he?”

“What do you mean?” Jonathan realized he was holding his sandwich so tightly that his thumb had squished through the bread. He frowned and wiped his hand on his napkin.

“I mean, do you think he is a kind person, or an unkind person? Determined or lazy? Lucky or unlucky?” She shrugged nonchalantly but her expression was sharp as she leaned forward and stared him down. “What do you think of him?”

What kind of person was Dio?

Jonathan didn’t have an answer that he was willing to share.

If his student council friends could be deflective about certain topics, so could he. He stood and clapped one hand to his forehead. “Oh, no! I totally forgot! I promised the drama club that I would help clean the stage today. They said they wanted to do it before the free period. I hope they didn’t start without me!”

Juri raised an eyebrow. “We have a drama club?”

Miki pointed halfheartedly at the table. “But Jojo, your lunch—”

“I can just take it with me!” Jonathan picked up the sandwich and began striding away. “See you later!”

Juri crossed her arms and huffed as she watched him leave. “Well, that was a totally normal reaction to a simple question.”

“I don’t think you realize how scary you can come across,” Miki muttered.

“I wasn’t trying to be,” Juri replied with a pout.

* * *

Lunch with Wakaba was thankfully normal. Dio found her just barely tolerable, more so when her bubbly affections were fully focused on Utena and not him. It helped that she brought him food that was actually edible. He considered Utena a short-sighted idiot based on their fake first duel, but she saw him at the very least as a friendly face and that could still be useful.

Wakaba at least had an interesting story to share. One of her neighbors had snuck a cat into the dorm, which was against campus rules. At some point, it had gotten loose and the chances of finding it again on the massive campus were slim to none. He wondered what the exact pet guidelines were; nobody seemed to care about Anthy carrying Chu-chu around.

Now that he actually had food in his stomach he felt prepared to go to the kendo hall. He had eaten his lunch rather quickly, so he was surprised to find that Saionji was already there. “What, do you not eat if Himemiya doesn’t bring you scraps?” he asked as he walked into the center of the hall.

Saionji glared at him. “No shoes on the main floor.”

“Ah, my apologies.” He took a few steps back and kneeled down to unlace them. He didn’t want to push Saionji _too_ far, as he actually did want to improve his sword-fighting skills.

“You should change, too. The spare kendogi and hakama I found are probably too small. I don’t think we’ll need the full bōgu since we’ll just be running drills, but you can wear the helmet for safety.” Saionji frowned, thought for a moment, and then pointed towards a set of cabinets against the far wall. “You’re about the same size as Touga. His spare set is in there.” His expression darkened further and he turned away. “It’s not as if he uses them.”

Dio opened the cabinet and pulled out the folded up cloth. While Saionji’s kendo outfit was a dull blue and black, it seemed that Touga had been a bit more ostentatious and styled it after his student council uniform. The bottom was the standard dull blue, but the black top was cut with brick red. He quickly changed; the outfit did fit him fairly well.

“For the helmet, first take a towel and wrap it around your forehead so it sits comfortably.” Saionji pointed at a shelf, where several spare helmets were resting, as well as a stack of white folded towels. Once Dio managed to get the helmet on and situate the towel so that the visor portion wasn’t slipping too low over his eyes, he returned to the center of the room.

Saionji handed him a bamboo shinai. “You probably want to jump right into swordplay, but you have to warm up first. One of the most important moves is the fumikomi ashi, or a lunging step. If you aren’t prepared for it, you can injure your Achilles tendon, and then you’ll be wide open to attack. So, to start, let’s do—”

“Saionji? Are you in here already?” A girl’s voice called out and the door to the hall slid open. “Do you know where Touga is? They won’t let me up on the balcony and I’ve looked everywhere else—oh!” The voice paused in surprise.

Dio barely had time to turn around before he was tackled from the side by a blonde blur. The girl hugged him tightly and smiled. “Finally! I certainly wasn’t expecting to find you in the Kendo hall. I wanted to tell you that I sent out almost all of the invitations to the party.” She let go of him and held up an envelope. “Last but not least, the invitation for Himemiya.” At that her eyes narrowed and she looked as if she were holding back a laugh. “You’ve been talking about her a lot recently and she never gets invited to anything, so I thought we would do her a favor. I’ll have a special surprise for her at the party.” She clapped her hands together and tilted her head. “Won't that be _nice_?”

Saionji frowned and held up one hand tentatively. “Uh, Nanami. That’s not…”

“Also, I finished the catering order and there’s money left over so if there’s anything special you would like, just let me know.” She crossed her arms and leaned back, her expression growing smug. “This is going to be the best semi-formal Ohtori has ever seen.”

Dio finally managed to respond. “I’m not Touga.”

Nanami lifted a hand to her mouth and laughed, then hugged him again. “Very funny! You sure _sound_ like Touga.”

He tore off his helmet with a scowl. Nanami froze for a moment, then shoved him away with such force that he nearly fell over.

“Who are you? Why are you wearing Touga’s stuff?” She ran her hands over her arms as if trying to wipe them off. “Saionji, why didn’t you say something?”

“I did,” he muttered.

“First of all, how dare you let someone else use Touga’s things,” Nanami spat. “Second of all…” She glowered at Dio, who was currently holding the bamboo sword as if trying very hard not to start swinging. She pointed at him. “If you value your continued enrollment in this school, you speak of this to no one. This never happened.” She retreated to the entrance of the hall, still scowling, and then slammed the door shut as she left.

Dio and Saionji stood in silence for a few moments.

“Who was that?” Dio finally asked. “Touga’s girlfriend?”

“His sister,” Saionji replied.

They stood in silence once more.

“It might have been better if you just kept the helmet on,” Saionji said.

* * *

The free period was almost over. Jonathan actually did spend some time with the drama club girls (one had been furiously sewing together a dinosaur costume while the other tried and failed to assemble a rideable wooden toy train) but now he was walking somewhat aimlessly across the campus. He found himself near the courtyard with the rose garden when he heard talking. He glanced towards the far wall. 

Well, there was Himemiya, her back against the brick, and in front of her were three other girls that he did not recognize. The girl in the front looked angry and she pulled her hand back and swung—

Jonathan winced. Himemiya just couldn’t catch a break. She held a hand up to her cheek and looked away as the girls continued to berate her. He wanted to intervene, but surely it wouldn’t be right to tackle these girls like he had Saionji. He began to walk towards them but paused when a voice cut through the girls’ insults.

Nanami approached the girls and stopped a few paces away from them. She crossed her arms and stared down at them imperiously. “What are you doing? This isn’t the proper way for students to behave. If you have any problems, go to the student council with them.”

The three girls wilted under her glare. The one that had slapped Anthy spoke up. “It’s not… I mean…”

Nanami scowled and the girls scattered. Anthy watched them leave with wide eyes.

She smirked as the girls ran off, but then her expression softened. “Are you okay?” Nanami asked as she approached Anthy with a friendly smile.

Anthy paused thoughtfully before responding. “Yes, thank you.” She tilted her head. “Your name is Nanami, right?”

Nanami’s voice was sickly sweet as she spoke. “I’m starting to see why you’re so popular, Himemiya. You’re even the most popular with the boys in the freshman class. That’s probably why you’ve been nominated to be this year’s dance queen.”

Anthy blinked at her. “Dance queen?”

Nanami nodded and waved her hand expressively. “They’re going to be choosing the school dance queen at the semi-formal this weekend. You’re one of the girls that have been nominated. You’ll come to the party, won’t you? It would make everyone so happy.” She glanced away bashfully. “And I’ve always wanted to be your friend, too, Himemiya.”

She held out the envelope and Anthy lifted her hand slowly, as if expecting Nanami to pull it back at any moment. When she finally took the envelope, she smiled and drew it close to her chest.

* * *

One shadow lifted her hands and curled her fingers into claws. “I am a T-rex! King of the tyrant lizards!” Behind her, a cloth tail swayed. “I wanna lord over the whole animal kingdom!” She went on a tiny rampage, kicking over blocks until she came across the second shadow crouched within the toy train.

“You’re a little small to be a T-rex,” the second shadow said.

“I could always grow up to be one,” the first shadow retorted.

The second shadow lifted her hand to her chin thoughtfully. “Say, I could put you in charge if you give me a big enough bribe.”

“Eh? Bribe?”

The second shadow nodded. “Give me something good and I’ll see what I can do.”

The first shadow searched through her pockets. “Uh. Hm. What would a T-rex have to trade?” She pulled out a lump wrapped in cloth. “Meat? I can get meat any time I want, so giving it away wouldn’t be too bad.”

The second shadow huffed. “Well, if it’s worthless to you, it’s worthless to me.”

The first shadow crossed her arms. “What if it’s super special magical power meat?”

“No way, no way.” The second shadow crossed her arms and leaned back. “Rule number one: A miracle requires a sacrifice. Rule number two: The sacrifice must mean something. Don’t try to break the rules.” Smoke started to chug from the engine of the train and it jolted forward. She threw her arms up in delight. “Oh, it’s working!”

The first shadow scrambled backward and threw the meat at the second shadow. “Ah, don’t run me over! Just take it!”

The second shadow pumped her fist in the air as the train slowly trundled forward. “I said, don’t break the rules!”

* * *

Dio frowned and rested his chin in his palm. “So this Nanami girl helped you?” 

“Yes,” Anthy replied.

“She said you were nominated dance queen,” Dio stated.

Anthy nodded. “Yes.”

“That you were voted one of the most popular girls in school,” he continued.

She smiled. “Yes.”

He pressed his fingers to his temple and frowned. “I don’t believe it.”

“Dio!” Jonathan leaned towards him and whisper-yelled. “Stop it!”

Dio shot him an annoyed glare but returned his attention to Anthy. Utena was out for a lacrosse game; Anthy, Jonathan, and Dio were sitting in the dining room considering their dance invites. Jonathan and Dio had found their envelopes slipped under the front door, as well as a box labeled for Anthy from Nanami. Inside of the box was a dress and a card with instructions to wear it to the semi-formal. Once they had settled in with cups of tea and some biscuits, Anthy had smiled and recounted her conversation with Nanami.

“Er, listen, Himemiya,” Jonathan said quickly, his tone apologetic. “I saw what Nanami did today. I’m really happy she was able to help you. She seems like a nice girl. I think it would be great if you went to the dance and had a good time, and I’m sure Dio thinks so, too.”

“Why’d she buy you a dress?” Dio grabbed the box and tugged it towards himself. “Was that the surprise?”

“Surprise?” Anthy asked.

“I wonder what’s wrong with it,” Dio said as he pinched the fabric between his thumb and forefinger. “Maybe it’s really unflattering.”

Jonathan huffed, pursed his lips, stood, and turned towards the bewildered-looking Anthy. “Excuse us for a moment.” To Dio’s surprise, Jonathan grabbed him by the shoulder and started pulling him towards the hall, nearly dragging him from his chair.

Dio twisted away from him. “Don’t touch me.”

Jonathan fixed him with a serious stare. “We’re going to talk about this in the hall.”

“I’m not at your beck and call, _Jojo_. We talk here.” He gripped at the base of the chair. “I am not moving.”

Jonathan went tense, his fists held tightly at his side. “Fine. I’ll just say it. What’s wrong with you?”

Jonathan was about to continue his tirade, but Dio interrupted him. “Jojo, listen. You’ve seen how people treat her. She is _not_ the most popular girl in school. Compare that to say, Utena, who is probably going to have to sit around after her lacrosse game fighting off her fans.” Dio crossed his arms tightly and shot a glance at Anthy, who just blinked at him. He scowled. “Jojo, are you so thick that you can’t recognize when someone’s being made fun of? You, of all people, should be sensitive to what it’s like.”

“Why are you so mean to her?” Jonathan asked as he frowned at him. “And I’m not just talking about right now! I’m talking about the last few days! It’s one thing when you try to steal away every happy experience from me, but from someone else? Himemiya has been nothing but kind to you! Why do this to her, too?”

Dio winced, his teeth half-bared, and he glanced between Jonathan and Anthy. “I’m not even trying to be mean! I’m being honest!”

Jonathan slammed a hand onto the back of a chair and gripped it tightly. “Even if you don’t like Himemiya back, you could at least manage to be a little bit nice to her!”

“You know what?” Dio leaned back and tapped his chin thoughtfully, but his gaze was dangerously sharp. “You’re right. I should have just let her go to this party and be humiliated by whatever prank inevitably happens to her, because I _don’t_ like her! In fact, she disgusts me! She’s pathetic!”

Jonathan was tense, his knees bent as if he were about to leap forward and tackle Dio to the ground at any moment. “Dio! Shut up! She’s sitting _right there!_ ”

“It’s okay,” Anthy said quietly, and they both looked at her with wide eyes. She smiled blankly. “I don’t like him, either.”

The resulting silence stretched. Anthy picked up the teapot and leaned over the table while smiling at Dio. “Would you like a refill? I’m sure your cup has gone cold.”

Three things happened very quickly: Dio shoved the teapot away, sending it falling from her hands and spilling all over the dress. Jonathan then launched himself forward and tackled Dio to the ground, bringing the chair down with them. Finally, Utena opened the door to the dining room and looked inside with utter bewilderment. She glanced at Anthy, who had brought a hand to her mouth in concern, then down at Jonathan and Dio, who were grappling on the floor.

“Hey!” She strode up to them and with surprising strength was able to at least pull them apart. Dio was shaking with rage while Jonathan had a bruise blossoming across his jaw. “Stop it!”

He wasn’t too worried about Anthy, but since Utena was around as a witness, Dio forced himself to quell his anger. His chest heaved as he steadied his breathing and he began to stand but Utena didn’t let go of him.

“Roommate rule,” she said sternly. “If you have a disagreement you don’t have to talk about it in front of us, but you have to shake and agree to talk about it later.”

Dio bit the inside of his mouth to keep from scowling. Jonathan didn’t look too happy, either.

“Come on, don’t take too long. I’m tired from my game but I’ll stand here all night if I have to.” For emphasis, she twisted her grip on their shirts. It wasn’t as if they weren’t strong enough to escape her grasp, but… it was the principle of the thing.

Jonathan frowned but held out his hand. Dio grabbed it and dug his nails into his palm. Jonathan did not wince.

Utena let them go. Dio stood and dusted himself off. “I don’t think your roommate rule is a real thing.”

Utena shrugged. “If it works, it works. It got you two to stop making a mess of the dining room, didn’t it?” She picked up the chair and pushed it in, then gawked at the dress. “Jeez, what happened here?”

Jonathan peered inside the box. “It almost looks like it _melted._ The tea completely ruined the dress.”

Utena looked at the tag curiously. “This was for you, Himemiya?”

“Yes,” she answered. “I was going to wear it to the semi-formal this weekend.”

Utena hummed thoughtfully. “I have a few dresses that I got too tall for. They might fit you if you want to wear them instead.”

“That would be great,” Jonathan said, his voice somewhat strained. “Right, Dio?”

Dio felt almost nauseous with souring adrenaline. “Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, thanks for reading! <3


	6. Chapter 6

Jonathan tried and failed to do his homework. He tapped his pen against the page and stared at the equations until they blurred into an unreadable mess.

He glanced over at the other desk. Dio was working diligently, his pen sliding over the paper and only pausing occasionally for thought.

The chair creaked as Jonathan leaned back and sighed. Dio slammed his pen onto the desk and startled Jonathan. When Jonathan looked at him, Dio glared back. “What.”

“Nothing.” Jonathan frowned and then hunched down over his homework. “Except the roommate rule agreement, I guess,” he finally admitted as he tapped his pen nervously against the edge of the desk.

“Okay. Fine. Let’s discuss it.” Dio turned in his seat to face Jonathan, who peered over at him cautiously. “I stand by what I said.”

“About Himemiya, you mean,” Jonathan replied.

Dio narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. “Yes, Jojo. About her.”

Jonathan considered him for a few long moments, then returned his attention to his homework. “Okay.”

Dio felt a flash of anger. “What do you mean, _okay_?”

“I know I can’t change your mind about things,” Jonathan replied. “And if you don’t get along with someone, it’s not as if I can magically make it better. And I don’t…” He trailed off, his grip on the pen growing tighter. “If you just want to keep arguing about this, I’m not going to indulge you. I just want you to know that I won't let you ruin someone else’s happiness.”

Dio glowered at him, but Jonathan didn’t look up. “You shouldn’t worry about that,” Dio said. “She’s already the lowest of the low here. There wouldn’t be any happiness for me to take.”

That finally provoked him. The chair scuffed against the floor as Jonathan stood and gathered up his homework. 

Dio watched him with a wary half-scowl. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to do my homework in the common area. Maybe I’ll just sleep there, too.”

Dio crossed his arms. “Are the dramatics necessary? Why do you care about her so much? What, have you been _jealous?_ ”

“No!” Jonathan flinched at the volume of his own voice. He took a deep breath before continuing. “I just… I was hoping this would be a fresh start. Like beginning all over again. That maybe this,” he said, gesturing widely at their room, “would at least be… I don’t know. I’ve kept quiet, you know? People have asked me about you and I truly don’t know what to tell them because apparently I _am_ so stupid as to try and let you present yourself to people however you choose without me bringing up,” he paused as his breath caught in his throat, “without saying—”

Dio had a white-knuckle grip on his chair. “I don’t need you to speak on my behalf, Jojo.”

“That’s the _point!_ I haven’t been!” His hands were clenched into fists at his sides. “I wanted us both to make new friends on our own terms. So I kept quiet for you. Maybe I shouldn’t have.”

Dio was silent. Jonathan didn’t want to give him any time to respond. He stepped out of the room and swung the door shut behind him.

* * *

Jonathan gave up on his homework with a sigh and slumped back against the armchair. He probably would just sleep in the common area. The chair was certainly comfortable enough. 

He heard a yawn. Utena padded into the room wearing slippers and bulky teal pajamas. Ohtori did like its detailing; the fuzzy footwear was embroidered with a circular rose. “You’re up late,” she said with a grin.

Jonathan made himself smile. “So are you.”

“I’m always full of energy after a big game,” she replied as she stretched out her arms. “Just gotta walk it off.” She pointed at the abandoned math homework. “Ugh, I hate triangle math, too.”

His smile became more genuine. “You mean trigonometry?”

“Yeah, triangle math.” She sat on the adjacent chair. “So, did you two work things out?”

Well, she sure was blunt. He pursed his lips and shrugged. “We talked about it.”

“Good!” She noticed that Jonathan didn’t look all too enthused. “It’s a start, right?”

“Yeah.” He frowned thoughtfully. “Did Himemiya say anything to you about it?”

“Not really,” she admitted. “I don’t think she likes conflict, so I didn’t really try to bring it up. Why?”

“Well, it was all because…” He trailed off and laced his fingers together. “Dio can be harsh.” That was all he found himself willing to say. Not ‘harsher than he intends to be,’ because he _always_ intended. Just harsh. “I was worried that he hurt Himemiya’s feelings.”

Utena grew pensive. As she spoke, she peered down at her ring. “That makes sense. But Himemiya… I think she’s tougher than people expect. Yeah, a lot of people are mean to her, but I’ve never seen her too upset about it.” She smiled warmly and shook her head. “It would be nice if people realized she wasn’t bothered. Maybe then, they would stop.” She looked up and went wide-eyed at Jonathan’s pained expression.

“It doesn’t work like that,” he blurted out. When Utena raised her eyebrows with concern, he rubbed a hand across his face. “I mean… well, back home, I don’t have many friends.”

“What?” Utena asked incredulously as she stared at him in shock. “But you’re like the nicest guy ever.”

“I try to be nice,” he replied. “But I don’t have many friends at home because I was made fun of, too.” He felt safe in leaving Dio out of the story; a tale of childhood bullying seemed common enough that Utena wouldn’t question it further. “At first I was really upset by it and everyone could tell. That kind of made it worse. But when I withdrew and did my best to pretend I wasn’t bothered, it certainly didn’t get any better. I had… I had one person that I was best friends with. I really liked her. Maybe I loved her, too.” He frowned at the swell of emotion in his chest and he shook his head. “I had come to terms with how I was treated, but I didn’t want it to affect her. Eventually, it did. She’s probably still hurt by it. I haven’t had the chance to speak with her since.”

Utena watched him with sympathy. “That’s awful.”

He gave a forced sort of chuckle. “That whole ordeal happened just a short while before I transferred to Ohtori, actually. I was so excited to come here because I would get to meet people that didn’t already know me.”

She gave a small smile and clapped her hands onto her knees. “Well, if you came here to make new friends, I think you’re doing a great job so far.”

“Thanks.” He grinned and leaned forward as he gestured at his homework. “Now, if only I could figure out how a cosine works.”

* * *

Utena had said goodnight and returned to her room; Jonathan did end up drifting off in the comfortable chair.

Something poked his shoulder. He frowned but did not open his eyes.

Whatever it was jabbed him harshly. He grunted and swatted at it with his hand. He looked up blearily at Dio, who immediately took a step back.

“Wake up,” Dio said flatly. “I’ve made an apology breakfast.”

Jonathan squinted at him. “What?”

“You heard me,” he replied. “I have to get Utena off my case about her stupid roommate rule. We’re going to tell her that we’re all sorted out.”

Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows. “And if I don’t want to?” His stomach had impeccable timing and growled loudly.

“If you want to turn up your nose at french toast with fruit and cream, that’s your prerogative.” Dio waved a hand dismissively and began walking away. “Lord knows that I’m the only one that knows how to cook in this dormitory.”

With a sigh, Jonathan stood, stretched out some of the stiffness in his limbs, and followed him.

* * *

Jonathan was glad that Dio hadn’t found out about the drama club because he sure was good at acting. Utena clapped her hands together and gave an impressed _ooh!_ when he cheerily distributed the plates to her and Anthy. “So, as I was saying, Jojo and I were able to talk through our problem, so now we’re back to being happy roommates.” Dio took his seat and smirked at Jojo as he held out a small ceramic container. “Would you like any syrup with yours, Jojo?”

When Jonathan gave him a dubious expression his smirk only grew. He poured a slight drizzle on his own plate before holding it out again. “Don’t give me that look. Don’t you like maple syrup? It’s not like I did anything to it.”

Jonathan frowned at him but took the container. It shook wildly in his hand. He stared at it with wide eyes. The lid of the container popped off with a squeak and a very sticky looking Chu-chu appeared. Jonathan glanced up at Dio, but he looked just as confused as he was.

Dio had a sudden realization and he looked down at his plate. “Anthy,” he said, and his voice was so calm that it caused Jonathan to immediately begin panicking. “Your creature was in the maple syrup.”

“Oh?” She looked up with concern. “Bad, Chu-chu. You’ll need a bath.”

Dio’s nails were digging into the wood of the table. Jonathan stood and Chu-chu leapt out of the container, sending more syrup spilling onto his plate. He dropped the container, then looked at Dio with growing worry.

“Oh, jeez. Himemiya, you’ve gotta keep a closer eye on him. That much sugar can’t be healthy.” Utena took a knife and cut her portion in half. “This was a pretty big breakfast already. I can split with somebody.”

Anthy slid her plate over to Dio. “You can have mine if you wish. I’ll make something for myself.”

“I’ve lost my appetite,” Dio stated. He stood, pushed in his chair, and left.

Utena held her plate out to Jonathan. “You want half?”

“Um, just a moment.” Dio had practically fled the room; Jonathan frowned and followed after him.

Dio was standing just beyond the door with one hand on the wall for support. He glared at him as he approached, but Jonathan was undeterred.

“I can see you’re upset,” Jonathan said quickly, “and I know you wanted to, well, keep up appearances. I get that. But that was just an accident. There’s no way any of us could have known that was in there.”

“An accident.” Dio’s scowl only deepened. “Isn’t she just so unfortunate. She’s just full of accidents and misunderstandings and…” He fell silent and he stared off at nothing in particular.

Jonathan rambled on, his voice wrought with worry. “Listen, I think you should still eat something for breakfast. It won’t be good to go to your classes hungry, right? Himemiya offered you her plate, even. Isn’t that apology enough?”

Dio lifted a hand to his temple. He stared at the floor, his thoughts racing. The use of his last name. The horrible yet specific lunches. The unerring politeness and passivity. _It’s okay. I don’t like him, either_. And now, this.

Dio’s blank expression broke into a grin. He laughed and bent forward. “No will of her own? Such drivel.” Jonathan shot him a look of confused concern. Dio waved a hand at him dismissively as he tried to rein in his amusement. At first, he had expected himself to be enraged, but the truth was just so funny he could barely handle it. The Rose Bride, of all people, had been making fun of him. 

“Don’t worry about me, Jojo,” he said as he caught his breath. “I’ll eat something at lunch.”

* * *

Morning classes passed quickly. Jonathan scarfed down his lunch and excused himself, claiming that he wanted to check out a few books from the library to see if they would be of any help when it came to his math homework. He did plan to do so, but afterward, he wanted to stop by the rose garden and check in with Anthy.

He approached the greenhouse door but paused when he heard a conversation inside. He went to knock but he felt a flash of nervousness when he heard Anthy speaking.

“...steal away every happy experience from him. That’s what Jonathan said.”

There was another voice, lower in tone, and Jonathan couldn’t quite tell what was said.

“I know,” Anthy replied. “But you know what he wants. If that is what he wills, then there is no choice to be had.”

“Not if I can help it,” the other voice said, and Jonathan took a few quick steps backward as the door swung open.

Touga gave him a nod of recognition as he stepped out of the greenhouse. “Good afternoon, Jojo. How are you?”

Anthy talked about the fight with Touga and not Utena? Perhaps she and the student council president were actually good friends. Jonathan returned the nod and smiled. “Oh, I’m doing pretty well. Yourself?”

Touga ran a hand through his hair. “Being the president of the student council has its advantages and disadvantages. A walk through our lovely rose garden does wonders for the nerves.” He smiled. “I feel much better, now.”

“That’s great!” Jonathan replied.

Touga peered at him thoughtfully for a few moments before speaking again. “My duties cut into my free time more often than not. I’ve only barely had the chance to be social this semester. You’re an interesting person and I think I’d like to become friends with you.”

“Oh, um,” Jonathan stammered as he felt guilty that his instinctive reaction was to think that Touga was pitying him because of what Anthy had said about the argument with Dio. “I think that would be nice! I’d like to make more new friends, too.”

“Good. You’ll be going to the semi-formal this weekend, won’t you? I’ll be hosting it at my place. I’m sure we’ll have the chance to talk more then.”

“Yeah! I’m looking forward to it,” he replied cheerfully.

“Wonderful.” Touga gave a little wave as he began to walk away. “See you then.”

Jonathan returned the wave and then looked at the entrance of the rose garden warily. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and went inside.

Anthy set down a pair of pruning shears and swept some plant detritus into a bucket. She smiled up at him and brushed a few stray hairs from her forehead. “Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon,” he replied. “I just… I wanted to apologize for yesterday. And for this morning, sort of.”

“Oh?” She gave him a curious look as she gathered up the last of the fallen twigs. “Think nothing of it.”

“I can’t,” he replied quickly, and Anthy tilted her head as she picked up a metal watering can. He looked askance, focusing instead on the veritable rainbow of roses that surrounded the interior of the greenhouse. “Listen, can I ask you a question?”

She answered with a tiny nod. Jonathan clasped his hands together, then let them hang at his sides, then shoved them into his pockets. Anthy simply waited, her expression as unreadable as ever. “I was just wondering,” he finally said. “You said you didn’t like Dio, to his face, even, but… you keep doing nice things for him. Though... I guess you’re kind of like that with everyone. I was just wondering… why?”

She looked thoughtful for a moment and then she smiled. “Why does Dio call you Jojo? Isn’t that a nickname for your friends to use? Are you two friends?”

“Huh?” He blinked at her. “I guess he does because everyone else does.” He frowned and rushed a search through his memories; had there ever been a time Dio had ever just called him Jonathan?

She nodded. “So it is a habit, then.”

“I guess so.” He found his shoulders had grown tense and he forced himself to relax.

“I am the same way.” She turned to the rose bush and lifted the watering can, pouring a shower onto the soil. “I have habits.”

His eyebrows knit with concern as he considered her statement, but eventually he gave a decisive nod. “I think I understand.”

She looked back over her shoulder at him, her tone light and airy. “Oh? I’m glad.”

“I’m glad Utena’s around to keep an eye on you,” he blurted out. “But if Dio gets to be… if he’s too much, you can tell me, too.”

“Thank you.” She smiled and gestured to the entrance of the greenhouse. “The free period is ending soon, isn’t it? My next class is close by, but you shouldn’t be late to yours.”

“Oh! You’re right!” He rooted around in his pocket for his watch. He checked the time and frowned. “Oh, no. I’ll have to run.” He gave her a wave as he ducked out of the greenhouse. “See you after classes!”

She returned the gesture, but her attention was already back on the rosebush. “Bye-bye.”

* * *

The school day came to a close and the students filtered out into the halls and courtyards, buzzing with excitement for the weekend. Jonathan began to head towards the drama club meeting when he spotted Juri leaning against a pillar in the courtyard. He gave her a wave and she returned it with a nod of recognition and a quick motion for him to go over to her.

“I was wondering if you’d like to join me for a game of bowling this evening,” she stated once he was close. “The lanes aren’t all too far from your dormitory.”

He grinned. “That’d be fun. I haven’t been bowling in ages. What time?”

“Dinnertime,” she answered. “I’ll bring food. My treat.”

“Oh, thank you!” He clapped his hands together. “Who all is going?”

She considered him thoughtfully for a moment before answering. “Would you like to invite your roommate?”

Before Jonathan could respond, she waved her hand dismissively. “Of course you would. Bring Dio along. I’d like to talk to him about something, so it would be very convenient.”

Even though Juri was smiling in a friendly way, her eyes were cold and piercing. Jonathan eventually nodded in response. “I’ll ask him.”

“Good.” She gave Jonathan a quick pat on the shoulder before walking off. “I’m sure he’ll agree to go. It would be rude to refuse the request of a student council member, after all.”

* * *

“Do you two think I’m cursed?” Jonathan asked as he took a bite of a cookie. One of the girls had baked them the night before and now they were snacking on them before their rehearsal.

“Cursed?” the first girl asked.

“Yeah.” He frowned thoughtfully at the cookie as if it would answer him. “I think I must have strange luck. Not good or bad, just strange.”

The second girl hummed thoughtfully. “What makes you think that?”

“I keep getting caught up in difficult situations,” he answered. “I feel like I don’t know what to do. Like it’s all out of my control.”

“I think that’s just part of being a teenager,” the first girl replied.

“Yeah, yeah,” the second girl added.

Jonathan leaned his cheek against his palm. “I guess so.” He took another bite of the cookie. “These are really good, by the way.”

The first girl took a bow. “Thank you, thank you!”

“Jojo, did you look over your lines yet?” the second girl asked.

The first girl giggled. “I just don’t know if I can believe in Jojo as a tough criminal.”

“That’s exactly why I have to practice my acting,” he replied. “I need to make myself more believable.”

The second girl wagged her finger at him. “Why, are you planning on lying to somebody?”

“Oh! No, of course not,” Jonathan answered as he smiled nervously.

The second girl leapt back fearfully. “Ah! What if you’re lying right now!?”

He laughed and shook his head. “I’m not, I’m not!” 

“Let’s run through the lines,” the first girl said. “I’m the shopkeeper of the prison dispensary. You’re the prisoner that has to decide what they want to buy.”

“Ah, er…” Jojo trailed off and looked around nervously. “I don’t think I have my lines memorized yet.”

The second girl clapped her hands together. “Ad-lib! Ad-lib!”

“Well, I worked hard and sacrificed a lot of time to get this money,” he said. “And now this money means a lot to me because of it. Now I just have to spend it on something I want.”

“Would you like a newspaper? Or a candy bar?” the first girl asked.

“Um… the newspaper. No, the candy bar. No…” He clapped his hands to the sides of his head in despair. “I just can’t decide!”

The first girl shook her head. “The store is closing in one minute! If you can’t decide then you get nothing!”

“Well, if I get the newspaper, I can learn about what’s happening in the outside world, and I do miss the outside a lot,” he said thoughtfully. “But it’s so hard to get candy in here and the store doesn’t always have it.”

The first girl tapped at her wrist impatiently. “Tick tock!”

“Alright! I’ve decided!” he declared. “I want—”

“Too late!” The first girl held up a finger. “Rule number three: You must know what you want.”

* * *

The bowling lanes were nice, Jonathan supposed. The tense atmosphere between the three people sharing the lane was less nice. To Jonathan’s surprise, Dio had immediately agreed to go bowling with Juri, but now that they were all here Juri and Dio were just glaring daggers at each other.

At least Juri had brought some good food. Jonathan picked at his plate of sliced fruit and watched as she took an elegant lunge forward and sent the bowling ball careening down the polished floor. Only one pin was left standing. Pinsetter attendants wearing the familiar Ohtori uniforms scurried to clear the fallen pins.

Juri lifted her ball from the angled return divot and peered down at the remaining pin. “When it comes to bowling, which do you think is more important? Luck or skill?”

Dio frowned at her. “You need both.”

“Do you?” She swung the ball forward and released. It curved a long arc along the lane and hit into the one remaining pin. “Can you even really say that luck exists?”

“I’ve been feeling unlucky lately,” Jonathan mumbled. Both Juri and Dio shot him sharp looks. He squared his shoulders, stood, and then hoisted his bowling ball over to the lane. “Let’s do a little experiment,” he said as he stood with his back to the lane. “If I’m really unlucky and I throw the ball without looking, then I shouldn’t hit any pins, right?”

Juri squinted at him. “You’re less likely to hit pins that way because your eyes are closed, not because you’re unlucky.”

“Hm. Maybe.” He turned and threw the ball normally; it curved and went straight into the gutter. Once it returned he picked it up and turned away from the lane. “Well, I certainly haven’t got much skill for it. So, let’s check for luck.” He ducked down and threw the bowling ball back between his legs. It landed on the lane with a loud thunk and skidded along the wood until it knocked down every pin.

“Oh!” He jumped up and looked down the lane in disbelief. “Strike! Huh! That must be good luck, then.”

Juri furrowed her eyebrows but a smile tugged at her expression. “I don’t think that proves anything, Jojo.”

“My turn.” Dio lifted his bowling ball and strode toward the lane. The ball swept through the pins and one was left tottering uneasily. It tilted until it inexorably fell with a loud clatter. “Now I’m a point ahead of you, Juri. I suppose I’m lucky that it fell over.”

“You’re mistaking physics for luck,” Juri muttered.

“Perhaps I am.” He watched impassively as the attendants reset the pins. “Are you saying that I _earned_ that point, then?”

She glared at him and picked up her bowling ball. “Perhaps luck doesn’t exist, but mistakes do,” she said as she swung her arm low. The ball hit into the pins and left two standing, one on each side of the lane. “Now, here is where skill is required,” she said as she prepared her second throw. The ball curved just along the edge of the gutter and spun. It smacked into the right pin and sent it careening to the left. It knocked against the other pin hard enough to send it into the gutter. She glanced back at Dio. “Those points were earned.”

“My turn,” Jonathan said. “Shall I just throw normally this time?”

“By the rules of the game, all the points I have were earned, too,” Dio said with a shrug as he ignored Jonathan. “It’s not as if I’m running down and kicking at the pins.”

Jonathan huffed and grabbed his bowling ball. Juri and Dio were just talking over him now. He wasn’t sure what they were getting at but he was certainly tired of it. He knocked down all but three pins.

He glanced back at Juri and Dio. They weren’t paying any attention to him. He lifted the ball from the return and sent it back down the lane without much enthusiasm. It knocked over two and one was left standing.

Dio coming at him with a bowling ball was too plausible for comfort so he decided not to interrupt whatever cryptic disagreement was happening. Dio would realize that it was his turn to bowl at some point. Jonathan walked away from the lane.

Dio managed to notice he had left just as he was going out the door to the bowling alley. He quirked an eyebrow at Juri. “Was it your intention to annoy him into leaving?”

“No.” Juri crossed her arms and her expression grew pensive. “I’ll be making it up to him later, if I can. But he was a convenient excuse.” When she glanced back at Dio, her eyes narrowed. “I wanted to give you a warning.”

“Oh, are you going to be the next one to challenge me?” he asked. “I know you’re the captain of the fencing team and all, but I have been practicing. Despite your preconceptions of me I don’t have to depend entirely upon luck in order to win.”

“Not me,” Juri replied. “Miki will.”

Dio frowned at her. “I’m not all that familiar with him. Care to remind me?”

“I do consider Miki a friend,” she stated. “He’s going to challenge you next. Perhaps you will win, perhaps not.” She leaned forward and gave Dio a harsh glare. “If I find that you did anything to influence the outcome of the duel outside of simply sword fighting, you will find that your life at Ohtori will become very difficult.”

“If I cheat, you mean,” he replied.

She held up her hand to display the rose crest. “You should know that there are very few things that the rules of the rose seal consider cheating,” she said lowly. 

He tilted his head. “Are you trying to tell me that Miki has some sort of weakness?”

“Perhaps.” Her tone was cold and flat. “As long as you know what the consequences are for taking advantage of it.”

A grin slowly grew as he peered back at her. “Of course,” he finally said. “I wouldn’t want to have the ire of the student council against me, after all.” He glanced over towards the lane where the attendants were standing expectantly. “I have no desire to finish this game,” he said with a sigh.

“Afraid of me winning?” she replied airily.

“No,” he answered. “Just bored.”

* * *

Dio went into the kitchen to make tea but paused in the doorway when he spotted Anthy sitting at the dining hall table and writing as she periodically checked a book. She glanced up and gave him one of her customary smiles. “Did you know that the pressure at the bottom of the ocean is hundreds of times as strong as the pressure of air on land? I suppose it makes sense because water is so heavy.” She flipped up the textbook to show several illustrations of deep-sea creatures: fantastically massive eels, luminous anglerfish, and wriggling worms. “It’s why all the sea life down there looks so strange. They live in a different world.”

“You’re still writing in the exchange diary?” he asked, his tone incredulous.

“Yes.” She tilted her head. “Should I stop?”

He stared at her for a few long moments, but then he grinned. “What’s the game here? Do you just find it fun to string him along?”

She merely stared at him blankly. He laughed and pulled out the chair beside her. “Is this how you’re getting revenge?” he asked as he picked up the textbook and flipped through the pages.

“Revenge for what?” she asked lightly.

He tossed the book back onto the table. “Well, he hit you, didn’t he? This is how you’re hitting back.”

She hummed thoughtfully and traced a finger over what she had written into the diary. “Is that so?”

“Did you find a dress for the dance?” he asked abruptly.

“Yes,” she answered. “Miss Utena is letting me borrow one.”

He watched her closely, his eyes narrowed with suspicion, but then he grinned. “You’re actually going to go? Nanami obviously had something planned. She might not respond well to you not wearing her gift.”

“You think so?” she murmured as she tapped her pen against the diary. “Should I not go? I’ve never enjoyed crowds, after all. I’m sure it will be busy.”

“You should go,” he replied with a smirk. “I want to see what she does.”

“Of course.” Anthy closed the exchange diary and stood. “I’m going to make tea. Would you care for some?”

“Not at all, if you’re the one making it.” He pushed in his chair. “I’m going to see how badly Jojo is sulking right now. Juri took advantage of his friendly nature today.” A thought struck him; he shot Anthy a sharply inquisitive look and followed her into the kitchen. “How much do you know about the student council members?”

She set the teapot under the spigot and turned the handle. “I attend many of the student council meetings.”

“But what do you _know_ about them?” he insisted. “Surely you know plenty about Saionji, but I’m not too worried about him.”

“I was engaged to Saionji, yes.” The handle squeaked as she turned off the water and lifted the teapot. She set it on the stovetop, turned on the gas, and the ignition clicked a few times before the flame took. Dio peered at the stovetop curiously for a moment but he returned his attention to Anthy.

“I’ll be direct since you won’t. I want to know how I can push the duels in my favor. As much as I hate to say it, Juri is right; they have more experience than I do. I may not be able to win with skill alone.” He watched as Anthy sorted through a few wooden boxes of loose leaf tea before deciding on one. “You’re supposed to help the champion, aren’t you? I want whatever leverage you have.”

She raised her eyebrows. “You do?”

He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “If I have to blackmail my way to the top, so be it. I can think of worse ways to win.”

“I see.” Her expression grew thoughtful. “Well…”

The teapot let out a shrill whistle. She hurried to turn off the flame.

“Hello?” a voice called out from the far end of the dining room. Utena strolled up to the kitchen entranceway and stretched out her arms. “I thought I heard people in here. Glad it wasn’t a ghost,” she said, and she waggled her fingers for emphasis.

Dio fought off annoyance and gave her a nod of recognition. “Good evening,” Anthy replied with a slight bow. “I’m making chamomile. Would you like some?”

“Sure,” Utena replied happily. “That’ll be a good way to wind down for the weekend. Oh, right! The dance is tomorrow, too. I guess that will be fun.”

Anthy began preparing two cups of tea. “Do you like those sorts of events, Utena?”

She pouted. “Yes and no. I’m not a fan of getting all fancied up for things.”

“Really?” Dio crossed his arms. “I find that fashion is half the fun of it.”

“You can say that,” she grumbled. “You don’t have to wear a dress.”

He shrugged. “If I wanted to, I would. Why not just wear your uniform? What are they going to do, kick you out?”

“What’s the other half?” Anthy asked as she poured steaming water into the cups.

Utena blinked at her. “Huh?”

“If fashion is half the fun,” she explained. “What’s the other half?”

Dio smirked. “Observing. Seeing how people react to one another. That sort of thing.” He waved his hand dismissively. “The two often overlap. People can wear very unfortunate outfits. That tends to get a reaction.”

“I see.” Anthy held out a cup and saucer to Utena, who took it gratefully. “How fun.”

* * *

Jonathan focused on his most current nemesis: his math homework. However, the miserable bowling experience kept dragging at his spirits. He flipped through the pages of a book he had borrowed from the library. Triangles were stamped across the page accompanied by various equations but none of them seemed to stick to his memory.

With a sigh, he pushed the homework away and reached into his bag. He pulled out a sheaf of papers enclosed in a white folder. He peered down at it pensively and ran a finger over the name writ large on the first page: Professor Nemuro, the namesake of the still-under-construction Nemuro Memorial Hall, where an unknown but terrible accident had occurred.

He flipped over the first page and began to read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, thank you for reading and i hope you enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7

Jonathan adjusted his bow tie and peered up with an expression of awe as he looked over a building that easily rivaled the Joestar mansion in size. It matched the fanciful architectural quirks and white marble construction of the rest of the campus despite being a fair distance away. “This is where Touga lives?” he asked.

“I’m pretty sure the Kiryuus are super rich, so…” Utena trailed off and shrugged. She had decided to attend the dance in her customary uniform. “They can afford a super fancy place all to themselves.”

“Oh, the Kiryuus do not own this building,” Anthy explained. Her dress was simply designed and light blue, more appropriate for a summer day than a dance, but it had fit the best out of Utena’s sparse collection. “It is still Ohtori property. This residence is reserved for whoever is the student council president.”

Utena whistled. “Man, being a student council member really has its perks, huh?”

Dio kept his expression neutral as he looked towards the door. He had settled on wearing a pair of black slacks, a ruffled shirt, and a jacket that could only be described as ‘loud’. “Seems so. When are the elections held, again?” he asked.

Utena began to answer but she had the wind knocked out of her as Wakaba tackle-hugged her from the side. “Utena! You didn’t get all dressed up for this? Well, I guess your uniform _is_ pretty handsome.” She twirled to flare out the pale green fabric of her own dress. “What do you think? I got this one brand new!”

“Ooh! Pretty! It actually looks like it might be comfy,” Utena replied with a wide smile.

“It is!” Wakaba said happily, and she did a half-squat for emphasis. “It’s easy to move around in. You might actually like this style of dress, too, Utena!”

Her smile became more of a wince. “Yeah, maybe.”

The group finally entered the mansion. They were greeted by a massive foyer filled with light orchestral music, tables of food and drink, and fellow students scattered around. The sound of music, talking, and laughter reverberated in the large space. Compared to the quiet calm outside, the sensory change was nearly overwhelming. 

George had held social events in the Joestar mansion before, but not quite to this scale. Jonathan let his gaze slide over the scene until he spotted Miki, someone familiar in a sea of unknown faces. He grinned and waved; once Miki noticed him, he smiled and returned the gesture.

Wakaba, Utena, and Anthy seemed to have already run into a few people they knew, most likely boys from the track team. Dio was with them, fully keyed into what Jonathan had mentally labeled ‘schmooze mode’, his expression deceptively cheerful as he quickly took control of the conversation. He said something and one of the boys laughed. Not wanting to join him lest he end up the target of one of his jokes, Jonathan made his way through the crowd towards Miki.

Ever the strategist, Miki had claimed a small, flower-bedecked table right by the snack supply. He gave Jonathan a cautious smile as he approached. “It’s a lot, huh? And a little too loud. This foyer has terrible acoustics.”

“It is a lot,” Jonathan agreed. “But still fun! Every time I think I have a handle on how many people attend this school, it’s like the rug is pulled from under me.”

Miki laughed. “Yeah. Lots of people, lots of food, lots of dancing, lots of noise. If it gets to be too much for you, there’s a veranda just behind us. The door’s unlocked. It’s great for some quiet and some fresh air.”

“That is nice,” Jonathan said gratefully. “I’ll keep it in mind.” His expression grew a touch more tense when he spotted Juri returning from the snack table with two glasses of punch in hand. At first her expression was cold, but she let out a sigh and smiled apologetically. 

“Hey, Jojo,” she said. “I’m sorry about Friday. We should go bowling again when I don’t have student council business on my mind. And we can invite Miki instead,” she added as she grinned. “I do think he’d be much more pleasant company. Anyway, would you like some punch?” 

She gave one punch glass to Miki and then held the other out to Jonathan. Jonathan nodded in thanks and took a sip. “It’s okay,” he replied. “If there was something in particular that you needed to talk to Dio about, I understand why you went about it in such a roundabout way. But if you ever need to discuss something with him again, you can just tell me.”

Juri blinked at him and even Miki looked a little confused. “Something in particular?” Juri echoed. Miki shot a glance down at his rose seal ring.

“I mean, I don’t know what you two were disagreeing about,” Jonathan explained. “But I know that Dio certainly isn’t the easiest person to talk to directly. So, next time, just give me a heads up.”

Juri looked vaguely relieved. “Oh. Of course.” She tapped a finger to her forehead and smiled. “Duly noted, but I’m hoping that I won’t need to speak to him again any time soon.” She glanced behind Jonathan and raised her eyebrows. “Oh? You’re taking a break from schmoozing already?”

“I figured I could come up for air for a minute or two before I drowned,” Touga replied with a sigh. “I was hoping more people would go up to the second floor, but they all seem to be crowding down here. It’s getting a bit thick.” He was holding two punch glasses; he took a sip of his own before holding the other out to Jonathan. “Punch?”

“I beat you to it,” Juri replied flatly as she gestured towards the glass Jonathan was already holding.

Touga set the extra glass on the table and lifted a hand to his heart. “I’m injured, Juri. You’re not even letting me be a good host.”

She shrugged. “You and Nanami put enough work into getting this set up. I figured I could carry one glass’s worth of the weight.”

“I’ll admit that Nanami arranged most of this,” he said with a sigh. “I was only able to contribute a few finishing touches, like making sure all of the most recent transfers received their invites.”

“Oh, thanks for that,” Jonathan replied. “It was nice to find them when we got back from class!”

Touga waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, yours was no problem at all. I meant the _very_ recent transfer.”

Miki frowned. “Who? I don’t remember hearing anything about a new student.”

“Well, they aren’t _new_ , per se,” Touga replied. “They transferred out a few years ago, then transferred back in just now. Shiori Taka-something.”

Juri went pale. “Takatsuki,” she stated quietly.

“Oh, that’s the name,” Touga replied with a faint smile. “Wait. Am I remembering this correctly? You had classes with her, right, Juri? I thought you two were friends before she had to move away. Perhaps you should say hello at some point.”

“... The student council has a duty to greet new students,” Juri replied. “Not returning ones.”

Touga shrugged nonchalantly. “Of course. I’m sure she’ll be receiving plenty of hellos at this party, anyway.”

“She’s _here?_ ” Juri asked, her voice strained.

“I mean, I did invite her,” Touga replied.

Juri scanned the foyer, her eyes wide and her lips pressed thin. It was the most unsettled Jonathan had ever seen her. She lifted one hand to the collar of her uniform and pressed her fingers against the fabric.

“She’s down here on the first floor, I think,” Touga added. 

“Then I’ll be going to the second,” Juri stated. She left her glass of punch on the table as she briskly walked away. Jonathan gave her a cautious wave goodbye and Miki watched her with confused concern.

“She’s always so cold. I merely want this to be an enjoyable party for every attendee,” Touga said with a pout. “Is that too much to ask? But speaking of which,” he said, and his expression slid back into a polite pleasantness. “Are you two enjoying the party so far?”

“Of course,” Jonathan replied, but he was somewhat distracted by watching Juri fleeing up the stairs.

“It’s a little loud,” Miki replied.

“Right,” Touga said with a nod. “I’ve been meaning to put up some wall hangings or something to absorb the echo. Oh! Miki, I wanted to ask you. Would you mind introducing me to Kozue some time? I realized that it was odd that I know you rather well, but not your twin at all. It feels almost rude.”

Miki grit his teeth. “I mean… I don’t see why not.”

Touga clasped his hands together. “Great! Tonight would be a great opportunity. I saw her not too long ago, but I didn’t have the chance to say hello.”

Miki paled. “She’s _here?_ ”

“Why have you both been so surprised? I invited everyone,” Touga replied.

“She told me she wasn’t coming,” Miki said, but he clapped a hand to his forehead and scowled. “She just didn’t want to walk here with me.”

“I thought her outfit was _very_ nice,” Touga added.

Miki scrunched his eyes shut, shook his head, and backed away from the table. He huffed out a sigh and looked over the foyer.

“Second floor,” Touga said helpfully.

Miki ran off. Jonathan watched him leave with a growing feeling of unease. He took a deep gulp of punch and idly tapped the glass against the table top. Touga flashed him a winsome smile but said nothing.

“So, uh, did Saionji come to the party?” Jonathan asked. “Since it’s a student council event and all.”

“He detests these sorts of things,” Touga answered. “For everyone’s sake, we both encourage and allow him to just stay in his dorm.”

Jonathan laughed nervously and took another sip of punch.

“So, tell me a bit about yourself, Jojo,” Touga said. “What are your hobbies? What do you like to do outside of class?”

“Well, I do like to read,” he answered, growing a bit more comfortable with the topic. “I like histories and stories about ancient societies. It’s interesting to see how so much has changed yet some things have remained exactly the same.”

“You like studying history?” Touga replied with a smile. “Are you all work and no play? I see why you and Miki get along.”

“I mean, I find it fun, but I do other things, too,” Jonathan said quickly. “I do like rugby, and swimming. Oh! And I joined the drama club. It’s pretty new for me and it’s actually more demanding than I thought it would be, but I’m enjoying the challenge.”

“Oh, the drama club,” Touga said with a sigh. “They’re not officially recognized. Those girls never do all the paperwork required and they don’t care to reserve the space properly.”

Jonathan tensed and stammered. “Um… I mean, they work very hard on the scripts and everything and we make sure no one is using the room first… but…”

Touga waved a hand dismissively. “It isn’t a big deal. If you’re enjoying participating in the club, I’m sure that I can give them some leniency.” 

“Thanks,” Jonathan replied a bit more gratefully than he had intended, and he took a sip of his punch to mask his embarrassment. “But what about you? What are your hobbies? I guess the student council takes up a lot of your time, like you said. But surely there are things you like to do for fun.”

“I used to be very invested in kendo,” he answered as he tilted his head thoughtfully. “I’ve also tried my hand at boxing. And knife-throwing, but mostly just as a trick. Lately, I’ve been looking into astronomy. But I think my true calling might be this,” he said, and he waved a hand towards the happy crowd. “Entertaining.”

“A professional partier,” Jonathan said with some awe, and when Touga shot him a bemused look he grinned. “I don’t mean that dismissively or anything. It’s very thoughtful and requires a lot of attention to detail. I mean, if you just shove a group of people into a space and expect them to have fun, they’ll only be bored. But when you set it up like this,” he said, and he waved towards the foyer, “it seems like everyone is having a great time. Well, except for Juri and Miki, I guess. But that was a little bit outside of your control.”

“Of course,” Touga replied with a wan smile and a sigh. “Any gathering, no matter how pleasantly planned, runs the risk of dredging up old dramas.” He paused and looked off towards the crowd; he didn’t quite frown, but his expression grew far more serious and a tired exasperation entered his tone. “Or new ones. What is she doing?”

Jonathan turned to follow his gaze. At some point, Anthy had split off from the rest of the group; Nanami had cheerfully greeted her and pulled her towards the center of the crowd under the pretext of needing her for dance queen nominee activities. But the moment Anthy was out of sight of Utena and the others, Nanami’s sweet attitude had soured. She was now berating Anthy and Jonathan could see the same three girls that had cornered Anthy in the courtyard joining in. Anthy stood before them, her posture timid and closed-off, her expression hurt.

Jonathan felt a tight, anxious soreness in his chest. Dio being right about Nanami was awful enough, but to see it happening was a bit too much like being at home. He glanced back; Touga seemed annoyed by what Nanami was doing, but it also didn’t seem like he would intervene. 

“Pardon me,” Jonathan said to Touga, and he began making his way through the crowd. As he went, he searched wildly for Utena or even Wakaba as backup. He felt a flash of relief—he spotted Utena, but she was facing away from him. Unfortunately, standing just beyond her was Dio, and he noticed Jonathan’s worried expression. The feeling of relief immediately evaporated. Jonathan grit his teeth as Dio glanced over to where the crowd had parted around Nanami and Anthy. His calm expression broke into a particularly vicious grin and he returned his gaze to Jonathan, clearly thinking _I told you so_.

At least his amusement caught Utena’s attention. She turned, noticed Jonathan moving through the crowd, followed his trajectory curiously, and then frowned when she saw Nanami. Utena began to make her way through the crowd as well, easily shouldering through the groups of socializing students.

Nanami crossed her arms and leaned forward. “And for me to have spent good money on a special dress just for you, and for you to have no answer for me as to _why_ you’re not wearing it?” she said, her voice bolstered by a self-righteous anger. “I’d be less hurt if you just said you _hated_ it. Did you even try it on?”

“No,” Anthy answered quietly.

“She didn’t even try it on,” one of the other girls tittered.

“That’s so ungrateful,” Nanami said as she lifted a hand to her forehead. “And rude. And _embarrassing_ for _you_. Do you really think that what you decided to wear instead looks _good_ on you?”

“It’s so last season,” one of the girls interjected.

“More like five seasons ago,” another added.

“I just don’t know what to think,” Nanami continued, a dramatic whine entering her voice. “You reject my gift, you reject my offer of friendship, and you insult me, but at least you’ve done me a favor by showing me what kind of person you are. Now I really understand why you have no friends. And for you to dare to spend so much time with Touga—”

Jonathan took a deep breath, steeled himself, and took a step into the space that had cleared around them. “It was my fault,” he said quickly. “I’m in the same dorm as her. We were having tea and I spilled some on the dress and ruined it,” he lied, and he hoped that it was close enough to the truth to be believable. “I’m sorry.”

Nanami stared at him, the corner of her lip twitching into a scowl. “You spilled… well, that’s still rather careless of her, to put an important gift in a place where things could be spilled on it,” she snapped, but she crossed her arms and took a tentative step back. 

“It was an accident,” he insisted. “She wasn’t trying to insult you or anything like that. The dress just couldn’t be worn.”

“Well— even if you— she’s still _weird!_ ” Nanami exclaimed. “Everyone thinks so! That’s why—”

“Hey, did the dance queen get chosen yet?” Utena asked as she went to Anthy’s side and placed a steadying hand upon her shoulder. “I wanna claim the first dance, if I can. Himemiya was nominated, right?”

Nanami scowled. “That… she isn’t… we haven’t decided on a winner.”

“Oh, really?” Utena asked. “Who else was nominated?”

Nanami fell silent. The three other girls gave her fearful looks, desperate for direction as the tide of the conversation turned against them.

“Well, if she’s the only nominee, she wins by default, right?” Utena asked with a grin. “So Himemiya gets to be dance queen, and I call dibs on the first dance.”

Nanami didn’t really respond. She huffed, crossed her arms, and retreated a few more steps. “Dance queen wasn’t a real thing, anyway,” she finally said with a sniff.

Utena ignored her as she turned towards Anthy and gave a slight bow. “Well? Shall we?”

When Anthy smiled and nodded in return, she looked genuinely happy.

The music played on, Utena took Anthy by the hand, and Jonathan walked over towards the side tables, his heart much calmer now that the unpleasant scene had resolved. He spotted Wakaba standing with a group of girls and while she was participating in the conversation, she kept glancing out towards the rest of the room with a slightly sad expression. When she spotted Jonathan, however, she grinned. “Oh, hey Jojo! Come meet my volleyball team!”

He happily joined the group, but every few minutes he noticed that Wakaba would still look off with a wistful expression. Once there was a lull in the conversation, he gently nudged her arm. “Everything okay?”

She blinked. “Huh? Yeah! I was just looking, um. I know Utena went off with Himemiya but I was kind of wondering if… you’re friends with the student council members, right, Jojo?” she asked.

“I think so,” he replied. “Most of them, anyway. How come?”

“I haven’t seen…” She trailed off and frowned, but then immediately covered it up with a smile. “Saionji probably didn’t come, huh? He’s too cool for a party like this.”

“Well,” he replied carefully, “Touga did say Saionji doesn’t like these parties, so he just stays at his dorm.”

“Yeah,” Wakaba replied with a nervous laugh. “That makes sense! This party is so crowded, anyway.”

“There’s a veranda open if you want some fresh air,” he suggested. “I think I’m going to go take advantage of it, myself.”

She laughed again and waved a hand rapidly, dismissively. “No, no, I’m fine! I’m used to being part of a crowd. I mean, I like being in a crowd. It’s energizing! And all my friends are in here, so...” She grinned and crossed her arms. “I’m good!”

“...Right,” Jonathan replied, and he smiled to cover up his bewilderment. “Well, see you later, then.”

Once out on the veranda, he closed the door behind him, closed his eyes, and let out a long sigh. It was much quieter outside and the air was cool and refreshing. There was a table with three empty chairs; he took a seat in one and looked out at the yard. The grass was clipped short and the plants were well-maintained; a rosebush crawled up the sides of a small gazebo; a fountain with a wide, circular base reflected the night sky.

The door to the veranda opened slightly. Anthy peeked outside. “Ah, Joestar. I’m not intruding, am I?”

“No, of course not,” he quickly replied. Anthy smiled, nodded, opened the door the rest of the way, and walked out onto the veranda. Dio followed behind her.

“Nanami seems like a nice girl, huh?” Dio asked mockingly as he took a seat at the table. Jonathan frowned at him. Anthy walked over to the edge of the lawn and was silent.

“I misjudged her,” Jonathan admitted. “She really did seem nice, at first.”

“I _told_ you she was up to something,” Dio said with a smug grin. “She spoke to me in the kendo hall because she confused me for Touga. That conversation was more than enough for me to figure out that she was a bully.”

“Like looking into a mirror,” Anthy said quietly, and they both glanced over at her; Jonathan with astonishment, Dio with angered suspicion. She merely pointed out towards the fountain. “See how it reflects the moon? It’s like looking into a mirror.”

A few ripples passed through the water and the reflected image of the moon wavered. A small noise, high-pitched and piercing, was accompanied by a splash.

“What was that?” Jonathan asked as he stood. “It sounded like a cat.” 

Anthy walked out onto the lawn and approached the fountain. They both followed her. “A kitten!” she exclaimed as she looked into the water. “A stray kitten. It must have been thirsty.” She dipped a hand into the fountain and pulled out a wet furball. The kitten stared up at them and mewled.

“Wakaba said someone in her dorm lost their cat,” Dio said. “Perhaps this is it.”

“I just talked to Wakaba,” Jonathan added. “I can go get her and ask.” He dashed back inside.

Anthy gathered up the hem of her dress and used it to dry off the kitten. “President Kiryuu might know what to do with you,” she mused. “I’m sure you’re hungry and you were certainly thirsty. Let’s get you something for dinner.” She cradled the kitten in the crook of her arm and began walking back to the mansion. Dio followed along but held back when she strode over towards the side tables.

Touga wasn’t far from the veranda doorway; he was still sitting at the table the rest of the student council had run away from. Nanami was standing at his side and talking about something excitedly. As Anthy approached them, his expression brightened and he smiled, but Nanami went wide-eyed and froze in place. “A kitten!” Touga said happily. “Where did you find that?”

“It had fallen into the fountain,” Anthy replied. “The poor thing nearly drowned. It would be nice to get it a small bowl of water and perhaps some—”

“Why did you bring it in here?” Nanami interrupted. “It could have fleas, or ticks, or the plague, or _something_.”

“Nanami, I don’t think it has the plague,” Touga said flatly.

She crossed her arms tightly and looked at him pleadingly. “We don’t know where it’s been!”

“Here, let me see it,” Touga said as he held out his arms. Anthy handed it over to him and he cradled it gently as it tried to crawl around his arms. “It’s adorable! There’s no collar or anything, though. Do you have any idea who it might belong to? If no one claims it, I’d be glad to take care of it.”

“It has to belong to _someone_! Take it out of the house,” Nanami snapped at Anthy, and when Touga shot her a glare she tightened her hands into fists at her sides. “Please,” she added, and for a moment she looked as if she was about to burst into tears, but she sniffed, shook her head, and scowled at Anthy.

Wakaba pulled a girl along and pointed at the kitten as she ran up to the table. “Oh, Hana! Is that the kitten you lost?”

The girl let out a sigh and bowed apologetically. “I’m so sorry! That is my kitten. If you need proof, I know she has a tiny little notch in her left ear.”

“You aren’t supposed to keep pets in the dorms,” Touga admonished, and when the girl gave him a devastated look he only smiled. “But since you’re just as cute as the kitten is, I think we can keep this a secret. Just make sure it doesn’t get loose again.”

Doo fought the urge to roll his eyes. He watched with mild amusement as Nanami accosted the girl and started ushering her and the kitten towards the door. Once she was a fair distance away, he approached the table and took a seat across from Touga. Anthy stood beside the table, her expression curious as she watched Nanami push the girl and the kitten out the front door.

Touga gave him a nod of recognition and held out a cup. “I hope you’re enjoying the party. Care for some punch?”

Dio shrugged and took the glass. “Sure, thank you.”

“Miss Nanami is very protective of you, President Kiryuu,” Anthy stated with a tone of light concern, and she tapped a finger to her chin as she thought. “I suppose she’s right. That kitten _could_ have had the plague.”

Dio smirked and took a sip of the punch. Of course the Rose Bride would instantly find some subtle revenge against the girl that had humiliated her. “What _was_ that about? Does she have a cat phobia or something?” he asked.

“I think it upset her because she killed the last cat I had,” Touga said with a sigh.

Dio nearly choked on his drink.

“We were both quite young,” Touga continued. “And she was certainly young enough that she didn’t quite understand the meaning of what she did. But I upset her somehow, and she trapped my kitten in a box and pushed it into the river during a storm. I found it later on, since a tree fell downstream and caught most of the debris.”

Dio cleared his throat and set the punch down on the table. “Goodness,” he finally said.

* * *

The dance ended, the students returned to their dorms, and the weekend went on. Sunday passed without much incident and at the end of the day, Jonathan sat at his desk and frowned at the last of his math homework. 

“If you try to think any harder I expect smoke to start coming out your ears,” Dio said as he glanced up from his book.

Jonathan sighed and erased his latest attempt at the problem. “You don’t happen to know how to do this, do you?”

Dio shut the book, set it down, and then approached Jonathan’s desk. He peered down at the paper and frowned. “It looks like my class used the same worksheet. Just use the formula that you followed in the third question and it should all fall into place from there.”

Jonathan tilted his head and flipped the page to look back at it. “Oh, really?” He paused and tapped his pen against the paper. “Are you sure?”

It was a simple question, but there was a level of suspicion to it that made Dio quirk an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Jonathan pursed his lips, tapped the pen down a few more times, and then shook his head and began to write. “Nothing.”

* * *

A few days later, Jonathan looked down at his graded homework and took a deep breath.

“How’d you do?” Miki asked, but before Jonathan could respond, he was already peeking over his shoulder. “Oh,” Miki said with sympathy. “That last question is a doozy, huh? And this instructor is a tough grader.”

“I don’t think the instructor is too tough,” Jonathan replied with a shrug. “I just got it wrong.” He crumpled the paper and shoved it into his bag.

Miki paused for a moment and his face flushed as if he were embarrassed. “I was planning on stopping by your dorm tomorrow to help Himemiya with her math homework,” he explained. “If you’d like for me to go over that question with you, I’d be glad to. ‘

Jonathan smiled. “I’d really appreciate that.”

* * *

Dio squinted at Utena’s worksheet as he flipped through his own. “Wait, how did you get _that_ part right and not the other?”

“I honestly don’t know,” she replied with a sigh. “Probably just dumb luck.”

The door to the dining room opened and Jonathan walked in with his crumpled homework in hand. Utena waved hello; Dio shot him a look that was hard to read.

“Same formula as the third question, huh?” Jonathan asked quietly.

“Don’t be like that,” Dio said as he held up his own worksheet. “I got it wrong, too.”

Jonathan sighed, tried to fight off an odd feeling of guilt, and took a seat at the table. Anthy came out of the kitchen with a steaming pot of tea. She set it down and took a seat, then opened a folder and pulled out her own worksheet. “It seems like we’ll all need some of Miki’s tutoring,” she said with a smile.

Dio glanced over at her. “Why, what did you get?”

“A zero,” she replied.

Utena gave her a concerned look. “A zero?”

“Yes,” Anthy said happily.

“Did you just… not do it?” Dio asked.

“Oh, no,” she replied with a slight frown. “Of course I did my homework.”

Both Utena and Jonathan tensed with surprise when Dio leaned over and grabbed the worksheet from in front of her.

“You’re in a different math track, aren’t you? Most of your homework was multiple choice,” he said as he looked it over. “Even if you were guessing, you should have gotten at least a fourth right.”

“Aw, Himemiya, you must have bad luck,” Utena mused. Anthy tilted her head and frowned sadly.

Jonathan shot Dio a warning glare. Dio rolled his eyes and set the worksheet back down.

“I’m glad Miki will be helping us tomorrow,” Anthy said as she stood. “It’s always nice to have people over. I wonder if his sister will come along.” She glanced towards the window. “Do you think the mail has arrived yet?”

“Oh, Kozue?” Utena asked. “And it should have. I can go get it.”

Anthy was already striding out of the room. “I’ll get it. I’m excited to see if my gardening catalogue has arrived yet.”

Jonathan set his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his palm. “Do you really think Kozue will come over? She and Miki don’t seem to get along.”

“Oh, really?” Dio asked, and he kept his tone from sounding too curious.

Jonathan pursed his lips. ”I guess they just have really different personalities.”

“I was surprised by that, too,” Utena admitted. “Since they’re twins and all, I guess I expected them to act alike, too.” As she poured herself a cup of tea, her expression grew more pensive. “I always wonder what having a sibling is like,” Utena said with a sigh. “I don’t remember my parents very well, but I know that they took care of me. And my aunt is nice, even if we don’t always see eye to eye. But it’s like… I wonder what it would be like if I had any family around my own age.” She pursed her lips. “What about you guys? Do you have any brothers or sisters back at home?”

Jonathan froze.

“I’m an only child,” Dio stated.

“...Yeah,” Jonathan added. “Same here.”

“Oh, all three of us are, huh?” Utena said with a smile. “I think Himemiya is, too—”

“The mail arrived,” Anthy said happily as she strode into the room. She began setting envelopes down on the table. “Oh, yay! Here’s the catalogue I’ve been waiting for. Here’s a letter from the basketball club for you, Miss Utena.”

“Ugh, I already told them I don’t wanna do that tournament for them,” she grumbled, but she opened the envelope and read through the contents nonetheless.

“And here,” Anthy said as she held up the final envelope. “For Dio and Jonathan, from Father.”

“Oh! That’s the first he’s written—” Jonathan exclaimed, but then the realization hit him and he shot a panicked glance at Dio. 

Anthy moved to hand the envelope to Dio. Dio stared back at her with his eyes narrowed, but he took the letter from her and gripped it tightly.

“Uh,” Utena said as she frowned in confusion.

“The joke is over, I suppose,” Dio said with a sigh. He waved the envelope dismissively. “Yes, Jojo and I are brothers.”

Utena was bewildered. “Wait—but you two look nothing alike. And I thought you had different last names.”

“Of course siblings can have different last names,” Anthy said with a smile. “My brother and I have different last names because he is engaged.”

The room fell silent.

“How many bombs are gonna drop today?” Utena exclaimed as she slapped her hands onto the table. “You have a brother?!”

Dio squinted. “He’s taking his fiancée’s last name?”

Jonathan clapped his hands together and smiled to hide his confusion, but he was glad that the topic of the conversation had changed. “Congratulations on the engagement!”

“Thank you,” Anthy said happily as she nodded. “The Ohtori family is very kind to us.”

The room fell silent once more.

Utena nearly fell over. “Ohtori?!”

Dio looked deeply suspicious. “Your brother is marrying into the family that founded the school?”

Anthy was inscrutably happy. “He is marrying the chairman’s daughter. My brother is also the acting chairman, as Mr. Ohtori himself has been out sick.”

Utena slumped onto the table and groaned. “You never thought to tell us this?”

Anthy only smiled.

* * *

One shadow pointed at the other in accusation. “Hey! You’re not what I was expecting to see!”

“Whatever do you mean?” the second shadow said as she flipped a long-haired wig over her shoulder.

“The prince I remember was nice, and meek, and _shorter_ , and had totally different hair!” the first shadow said.

The second shadow hummed in thought as she sorted through a suitcase. “Did the prince wear something like this?” she asked as she held up a purple sweater with a gap across the chest. 

“Yes, yes!” the first shadow exclaimed. “Just like that!”

“This is _my_ sweater,” the second shadow stated. “I just outgrew it.” 

“No way, no way!” the first shadow retorted, and she crossed her arms. “I don’t believe that you’re both the same person! One of you is nice and the other is so totally evil!”

“Well, have you ever seen us both in the same place at the same time?” the second shadow asked smugly.

The first shadow held up a transparent projector slide depicting Akio Ohtori staring at the ornate grave of Prince Dios. “Of course I have,” she said flatly.

* * *

Jonathan looked down at Professor Nemuro’s research file one last time and then looked up at the austere-looking memorial research hall. Parts of it appeared to still be under construction, but a few lights were on inside. He had eaten his lunch quickly and skipped out on the drama club meeting to ensure that he would have enough time to investigate.

He approached the front entrance and tried at the door handle. It was unlocked.

He ventured inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, thanks for reading and i hope you enjoyed! :D


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